A Walk To Remember
by Surrounded By The Sun
Summary: A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and an extremely driven Physical Therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)
1. Changes

**Title:** A Walk To Remember  
 **Rating:** M (for language)  
 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** This is just a thought, maybe will turn into a full blown story. Let me know what you think. I'm taking a lot on, attempting to juggle two stories with my busy ass life, but I can assure you that I am not abandoning See Her On The Weekends. Elevated and Darling, You'll Be Okay have both been put on temporary hiatuses. I hope you enjoy this, it kind of just came to me (seeing as I'm a very injury prone person and have had many opportunities for experimental surgeries).

* * *

 _May 27, 2011_

 _'Car Accident in Atlanta, Georgia Leaves Collegiate Soccer Player Paralyzed.'  
_

 _A car accident last week has left collegiate star soccer player, Beca Mitchell, in a wheelchair. Mitchell, 19, was driving down Howell Mill Rd when a drunk driver speeding down Huff Rd NW in a SUV struck her car on the driver's side. She was thrown 180 feet, suffering many injuries. She was reported to have slipped out of her seatbelt when the car rolled over, causing her to be ejected out of the driver's side window. She was transported to Piedmont Surgery Center where she underwent a 5 hour surgery to repair a lacerated lung and a broken sternum. It was found during surgery that she had also endured an incomplete spinal cord injury. Dr. Mitchell, the victim's father, has officially confirmed that his daughter now suffers from paraplegia._

 _From what we know of the injury; an anterior cord syndrome in thoracic spinal cord injuries are extremely difficult, causing the motor function in the lower region, mainly the legs, to completely or partially immobilize while some (if any) sensation remaining._

 _Beca Mitchell was the center forward for the Barden Knights, claiming 7 goals and 4 assists in her calendar year that ended the night of the accident. She was on her way to becoming a professional soccer player, many clubs already scouting her. With our knowledge of her injury, it looks like this star soccer player may never walk again._

 _The driver of the SUV has been arrested for aggravated DUI, and reckless/negligent BAC two times the legal limit. He is still pending investigation._

Beca sighs as she reads the article that made everything a reality to her. It was one thing for doctors to tell her she'd be damned to a wheelchair, but when it was all over the news, it really hit her. It had been a little over three years since the accident that put an indefinite halt on her soccer career, that forced her to not be able to walk at her graduation. But all of that was about to change, she hoped.

Being confined to a wheelchair has been one of the most life altering aspects of Beca's life. She had never known how difficult it could be, how trying to get yourself out of bed physically and emotionally weighs on you. Beca thanked God for the days she was able to walk because she couldn't begin to imagine how people who were cursed with paraplegia their whole felt.

Beca graduated from Barden University a month ago with major in music composition and audio recording. Since her soccer days were over, Beca had channeled all of her depression, anxiety, and pending anger into music. She had composed music for her school's acapella team, the Barden Bellas, getting recognition for her innate skill for creating perfect mash-up set lists. Barden University had hired her for their upcoming spring semester.

But her fresh-out-of-college job was the last thing on her mind. Beca glances at the calendar; _August 30, 2014_. Today was the day that she was getting surgery. Beca jumped on the opportunity for an experimental surgery that would relocate olfactory ensheathing cells from her nose (weird, right?) to her spinal cord, hopefully allowing the nerve to repair itself and be able to send the signals it's supposed to so that her motor function is restored.

It's a risky surgery, and she's their first patient, but Beca would give anything to be able to walk again. Beca understands that the surgery can be unsuccessful and it's a risk she was willing to take. Just a chance, that's all she wanted.

Beca hears knocking on her bedroom door and she knows it's her best friend, Stacie, coming to pick her up.

"Come in!" Beca yells as she slams her laptop shut, not wanting Stacie to see the article. Stacie saw it when it first came out, but Beca hated dwelling on the past, and that's exactly what she was doing and she wouldn't own up to it.

"Hey, Becs. You ready?" Stacie breathes out.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Beca smiles halfheartedly. The anxiety was rising in her chest, and Beca knows she has to stop it so that she doesn't wuss out in the last minute.

"Let's go, then."

 **xxx**

Beca wheels herself into the surgery waiting room, Stacie allowed to come back with her. She helps her friend undress and replaces her clothes with a hospital gown. She lays Beca down on the bed and Beca feels her leg twitch. This happened from time to time, as her injury was incomplete and allowed her to have some voluntary movement in her legs, but it was mostly along the lines of leg twitches and the occasional ankle bending.

"Hospital gowns are the new black, huh?" Beca jokes trying to lighten the mood.

"For you? No. You're always wearing black, so..." Stacie smirks.

There's a small 'are you ready?' at the curtain and Beca grunts in confirmation. In walks a nurse, who's there to prep Beca for the anesthesiologist and the surgeon.

"Okay, Beca... I just need you to confirm your information on this band is correct." The nurse flashes the band and Beca's eyes skim it; Rebeca Taylor Mitchell. DOB: 04/06/1992.

"Yeah, everything's right." Beca nods as the nurse smiles, placing the band around her wrist.

"All right, let me take your vitals."

Thirty minutes had passed, Beca already visiting with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. She had been given her dose of anesthesia and knew she'd be out soon.

"I'll see you on the other side." Beca smiles, holding her hand out to grab her best friends.

"Good luck, short stack." Stacie replies, a tear falling down her cheek.

The effect of the anesthesia were slowly taking over Beca as the nurse starts wheeling her towards the operating room. Beca's hand was still sticking out of the bed, causing the nurse to sternly tell her to keep her hand inside.

Loopy, Beca replies with, "NO! I'm a rebel. Screw you," before passing out.

 **xxx**

Beca woke up from surgery 5 hours later feeling the grogginess cloud her head. She could feel that her nose was bandaged, probably from them scraping the cells out of it. She was hoping the surgery was successful, but patiently waited for the surgeon to come talk to her.

Beca moves her eyes side to side, looking around the room, spitting a nurse.

"Miss..." Beca tries to call out, her throat dry from the tube they had to insert to help her breathe.

"Oh, Beca! You're up! Good news. Let me tell the doctor and grab your friend." The nurse exclaims.

Beca waits for a few minutes before the surgeon comes walking in with another woman who was not the precious nurse. Beca's eyes widen as she steps into frame, her red hair glowing in the lowlight of the recovery room, her piercing blue eyes glistening as well. If Beca thought it was hard to speak before, she was totally speechless now at this girl's beauty.

"Hey, Beca!" Dr. Fitzgerald says happily. "Glad to see my warrior patient is awake! It's going to be difficult for you to talk because of the breathing tube, so I want you to answer by nodding 'yes' or shaking your head 'no'."

Beca nods, pressing her lips together in a small smile as the redhead in the white coat watches her.

"We won't know for a couple of weeks if the surgery was successful or not, so we have to keep you here under supervision. Do you understand?" A nod. "Excellent. I take it you're feeling okay?" Another nod. "Great, great!"

"Hi, Beca! My name is Chloe Beale. I'm going to be your physical therapist for the duration of a few months so we can get those legs working again." The redhead's smile beams and Beca may have just melted on the inside. "I will be working with you 5 days a week, we'll be starting with sensation for two weeks, and then when you get your MRI to see if the surgery was successful, we will start on your motor function, okay?"

Beca nods, her eyes filling up with tears. She didn't mean to start crying, but the fact that these doctors were so dedicated to her recovery made her an emotional wreck. Chloe's smile falls when she sees Beca's tears, knowing the patient would be way too weak to move any of her limbs. Chloe makes a swift decision to pull a handkerchief from her mandatory lab coat pocket and leans over Beca. She places her hand on Beca's leg gently, using the cloth to wipe away her tears.

"There, all better." She smiles. "Though, it's perfectly okay to cry."

Chloe gives Beca's legs a small squeeze, causing the brunette's eyes to widen. She felt that, hardly, but she could tell it was there by the small spark she felt for the first time. Sure, she had some touch sensation left in her legs, but it was mostly just if something skimmed the surface of her skin the right way. She had never once felt pressure sensation.

"Pres-pressure." Beca croaks out.

"Pressure?" Chloe's eyebrow rises before realization floods her face. "YOU FELT THAT!?"

Beca nods, mouthing 'barely, but yes' and Chloe squeals and tries to contain herself from hugging her patient in excitement.

"Beca! This is great! Already showing some progress. It means some of your cells have regenerated a small section of your injury! Let's hope they fuse fully!" Dr. Fitzgerald exclaims happily. "Okay, well we have to go, but the nurse will take you back to your private room for recovery.

"I'll see you, tomorrow, Beca." Chloe smiles, waving goodbye. Beca nods, her arms way too weak to attempt to wave back.

Beca watches as Chloe and Dr. Fitzgerald make their exit and sees that Stacie is entering as they leave. Stacie doubles takes as she passes them, pointing back at them as she approaches Beca.

"Who's the hot red head?" Stacie asks.

"Physical therapist," Beca manages to get out.

"She's attractive and she's going to be touching you a lot in the days to come," Stacie wiggles her eyebrows, smirking. Beca rolls her eyes at her best friend's antics, the words settling in her stomach. Beca's face becomes unreadable and Stacie freaks out. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I..." Beca's throat dries up. "I felt her..."

"You what, now?" Stacie questions, confused.

Beca breathes out loudly, pushing herself to produce enough words to get her point across. "Her touch. I felt it... Like a spark."

* * *

 **So, when I got surgery last year on my middle finger (sustained animal bite wound that tore my nerve), I was saying goodbye to my best friend as I was being wheeled away to the operating room. I was so damn loopy and tired that I really did scream 'NO, I'M A REBEL. SCREW YOU!' when they asked me to keep my arms and legs inside the bed.**

To this day, she won't let me live that down.

Hope you enjoyed this. The chapter for SHOTW will be out in a couple of days!

 _Continue? 10... 9... 8... 7... 6..._


	2. Progress

**Title:** A Walk To Remember

 **Rating:** M (for language)

 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** I'm glad to see the responses on this, since it was literally just a thought. I'm going to attempt to make this into a full blown story, but no promises there. My heart is definitely dedicated to See Her On The Weekend, but we'll see! Enjoy this next one.

* * *

 _ **Saturday; August 30, 2014**_  
Chloe gets home from work, kicking off her shoes and shedding her jacket off, hanging it on the hook. She sighs loudly, the day definitely wearing in on her. She had a handful of patients to see before she took on her newest task, getting a patient to walk again after three years of paralysis. The doctors had asked her to completely dedicate her time to this one specific patient, meaning Chloe would have two weeks before she was unavailable for a prolonged period of time.

She didn't hate that she had to focus on one patient, especially when said patient was definitely a looker. Chloe knew she had to separate work emotion and personal emotion, but just one look at Beca and she knew that'd be hard to do.

The first two weeks that she'll be working with Beca will definitely be hectic, as she'll be finishing off with five other patients at the same time. But once Beca's MRI came in, her full attention will have to be set on the small brunette.

Chloe walks into the kitchen, her roommate and journalist Aubrey Posen was sitting at the table, neck deep in her work.

"Hey, Bree." Chloe breathes out as she grabs the Brita pitcher from the fridge filling up a glass with water. She sits down across from Aubrey, gulping down the water like a dehydrated person in the desert.

Aubrey takes her glasses off and smiles at her friend who had just slammed a glass of water in less than 10 seconds flat. "Thirsty much?"

"Long day. These next few days are going to be the worst." Chloe groans knowing that it was practically her Monday. Chloe used to have weekends off, but when Dr. Fitzgerald had come to her asking for her help with an experiment patient, she couldn't say no.

"Oh yeah, new patient. How did that go?" Aubrey asks as she shuts her laptop.

"I mean, we didn't do anything today. But she's already making sensation progress so that's good." Chloe smiles, remembering her hand on Beca's thigh. "Funny, though... When you were barely starting journalism, you wrote a story on her."

Chloe remembers that story clearly. Aubrey was a newbie and they sent her to cover this terrible car accident in northwest Atlanta. Chloe remembers how Aubrey didn't sleep for days trying to get her article correct and perfected. It's actually what helped her career take off.

"Wait, your patient is THE Beca Mitchell? They said she'd never walk again." Aubrey says, shocked.

"Well, if the surgery works, there's a good chance she could be walking soon." Chloe smiles.

She really wanted to be able to help Beca. After seeing what she had gone through in the past, after knowing about her accident from a first hand source, Chloe was determined to make it possible.

"I'm glad to hear that, truly I am." Aubrey says sincerely. Beca's story had haunted her for a long time, having to see such a young teenager with a promising future lose everything due to the mistakes of one person.

"Yeah, me too. Well, I think I'm going to head to sleep," Chloe says, rubbing her neck. "I've got to work tomorrow and I'm not adjusted to working weekends."

Chloe leans over and hugs her best friend. "Try not to stay up all night."

 _ **Sunday; August 31, 2014**_ _ **  
**_Beca woke up early this morning, not that she really had a choice with how many nurses had been in and out of her room to check on her. The dryness in her throat had subsided, and she was luckily able to talk without much pain. However, the pain in her back and torso were definitely excruciating, and Beca was only thankful that she had been placed on her right side, or the pain of laying in any other position would have probably been worse. Beca was still having trouble moving her arm, a complication that was discussed with her earlier due to having her back sliced open.

Beca kind of felt helpless, not being able to make use of her whole body. Not being able to walk was one thing, but she was currently unable to do anything by herself except move her neck and talk, and it was weighing on her.

Stacie had shown up around 8 in the morning to check in on Beca. She offered to help Beca eat, but the stubborn brunette declined and told her it was unnecessary.

"Beca, you have to eat something," Stacie says, worried.

"Really, I'm fine." Beca states, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply.

"Your doctors and physical therapist are going to hate me if you don't eat something. You need all the strength you can get before you start PT, today." Stacie tries to persuade her best friend, her eyes moving to the tray of food that the nurse had brought in. "Just like a few bites, please."

"Fine, but only because I don't want to be a problem." Beca finally gives in, rolling her eyes.

Stacie nods, scooting her chair over and picking up the spoon of oatmeal. She had to admit, it didn't look appetizing and she couldn't blame Beca for not wanting to fed like a baby, but she did need to eat. Stacie scoops up some of the oatmeal, holding her hand under the spoon as she moves it towards Beca's mouth.

Beca leans her head forward a bit and Stacie puts the spoon in Beca's mouth. Beca closes her mouth as Stacie removes the utensil and she winces at the bland taste before swallowing.

"This sucks," Beca groans as Stacie grabs another spoonful.

"Yeah," Stacie sort of chuckles, "Not how I imagined spending my Sunday. But Dr. Fitzgerald said you should be able lay on your back and move your arms in no time."

Stacie smiles as she once again feeds Beca the oatmeal, hearing a knock on the door. The door handle turns and in walks Beca's physical therapist. Stacie's staring, completely forgetting what she was doing as the door shuts.

"St-cie, ze spn in mah mou." Beca mumbles against the spoon. Stacie mentally slaps herself, pulling the spoon out and setting it into the bowl.

Beca's eyes advert to Chloe, feeling slightly embarrassed about what she just walked in on.

"Hey, Beca." Chloe waves. "Do I need to come back later?"

"No, no. I was just leaving." Stacie replies, picking up her bag and looking at Beca. "I'll be back later with your dad."

Beca nods and Stacie makes her way past the short redhead.

Chloe makes her way into the room, sitting down in front of Beca who looks very unenthusiastic about having to lay on her side.

"How are you feeling today?" Chloe asks, tilting her head so that Beca could see her upright.

"Sore, but okay. Just wish I could use my arms." Beca shrugs.

"Well, it's nice that you have a..." Chloe trails off, not wanting to assume that the girl who just left the room was Beca's girlfriend. "Friend, who can help out with getting you energized."

"Yeah," Beca chuckles, seeing Chloe's demeanor changed. "The most annoying best friend in the world."

Chloe's nerves dissipated when Beca confirmed that they were just a friend. She didn't know why, but the scene she walked in on made her feel slightly jealous and it shouldn't have. She doesn't know Beca at all, aside from what Aubrey had found out while covering her story. Also, it was _very_ unprofessional of her to think of her patient in _that_ way.

"Well, I'm glad you ate something because these meds you're on are not kind to your stomach at all." Chloe smiles, getting back to the matter at hand. "So, you're still having trouble with your arms?"

Beca's eyes lower and she looks defeated. "Yeah... Well, arm. I can't really move my right one because it's under my body, but my left arm also can't move."

Chloe reaches out to grab Beca's arm, "May I?" Beca nods and Chloe gently grabs her arm, lifting it up from her side. Beca winces at the soreness, but she doesn't let it show too much. Chloe holds her upper arm, feeling Beca's muscles tighten. "Can you bend your lower arm up for me?"

Beca starts to bend her arm, the strain causing more pain than she had originally endured. She hisses softly as she gets her arm to fully bend, letting it relax as her arm straightens out.

"So, we're having a little issue, but that's an easy fix. We're going to have you work on abduction and adduction today. Sound good?"

"Don't know what that means, but I'll do anything." Beca nods her head in agreement.

"Well, abduction is the motion of moving your limbs away from your midline. So we'll work on getting your arm to move from your side, to your shoulder. Adduction is the opposite. When we get your left arm up to shoulder level, you'll bring it back down to your side. This will help you gain some movement back so that your arm doesn't get stiff while we're waiting for your back to heal." Chloe explains. "But first, I want to work on touch sensation."

"Okay," Beca gulps, remembering Chloe's hand on her thigh, being able to tell that it was actually there.

Chloe nods, grabbing the top of Beca's blanket and moving it to the foot of the bed. She examines Beca's legs, one lazily laying on top of the other, asking the brunette to try to flex leg muscles. Beca complies and gets a small bit of voluntary movement to occur.

"It's looking a lot better from yesterday." Chloe puts her fingers on Beca's thigh, pressing down softly in certain areas. "Can you feel this?"

"Kind of."

Chloe makes a mental note of this, moving her fingers down towards Beca's left knee. Right above the knee, Beca is responsive.

"There's pressure right there, and I can feel your skin," Beca says out loud, causing Chloe to stop. Chloe takes her thumb and middle finger and gently squeezes Beca's leg, right above her knee. "I can feel that!"

"Excellent," Chloe smiles. She removed her hand, grabbing a marker and marking the place where Beca could feel. She places her hand on Beca's knee and continues moving down. "Anything?"

"No pressure, but like a tingling feeling."

"That's common. Your neuro response is growing, meaning that signals are being sent through small parts of your injury site." Chloe writes down Beca's symptoms. "Your sensory functions will be the first to return. So I just want to keep tabs on where so we know how well your body is responding to the OECs until you get your MRI. After that, we'll work on getting you to stand, then eventually walk. You'll have to use walking aids due to muscle degeneration over the past three years, but with the help of those, you can be walking in a few months. You'll just need to help me by trying your hardest. I know it'll be difficult, painful, and defeating at times, but I believe we can do it."

Beca's heart flutters at Chloe's words. She never knew that someone could have so much faith in her, remembering her dad and Stacie voicing concerns about the surgery in the first place.

The two work on arm movement after the touch sensation, Beca gaining pressure feeling in about 10% of her legs. They really couldn't work on touch sensation per say, it was just figuring out where her sensory functions were regaining themselves, but Chloe nor Beca could complain.

By the end of their time together, Beca as able to lift her left arm again, however sore it might make her back feel. Chloe felt accomplished, knowing that their first day was a small success.

"You did well, today, Beca. I'm sure Dr. Fitzgerald will be glad to hear of your progress." Chloe says sincerely.

"Thanks," Beca smiles, "seriously, thank you."

"It's no big deal." Chloe plays it off.

"No, it's huge, Dr. Beale. We're changing the world of medicine here, and you're going to help me do what I couldn't for the last three years."

"Well, when you put it that way." Chloe feels her heart swelling. "Anyway, there's one more thing we need to do before I go."

Chloe grabs her bag and sets it behind Beca's back, making her way around the bed. She gently unties Beca's hospital gown, opening it up so that Beca's back was fully exposed.

Her hands start shaking when Beca's naked back comes into full view, the 6" incision all sutured up. Her skin was red, sporting little hints of blue marker from the incision pattern. She looks further down towards Beca's lumbar region where the incision ends and sees a small drainage tube attached to a sack hanging from her back.

She grabs a roll of Kinesiology Tape from her bag and places it over Beca's scapulae.

"This is kinesiology tape," Chloe explains as the brightly colored tape is displayed on Beca's back. "This will create a small gap between your dermis and muscle layers, allowing you to have smooth muscle movements. The gap also allows better blood flow and drainage."

"That's really cool," Beca says as she feels Chloe's hands leave her back.

"That's medical science for you," Chloe jokes, tying Beca's gown back up. "It can stay on for up to a week, and it'll help ease a bit of the pain so that you can eat by yourself."

"I really appreciate all that you're doing for me." Beca says, smiling even though Chloe is still behind her.

"I'm glad I can help." Chloe says, eyes lingering on the bit of skin she can still see on Beca's back. She shakes her thoughts, remembering that she had a busy week ahead of her. "But I've got other patients. So I'll see you again, tomorrow."

"Okay," Beca replies, wishing she could see Chloe's piercing blue eyes before she left. "See you, tomorrow."

Beca feels Chloe put a hand on her shoulder, patting it softly before the physical therapist is in Beca's view again, walking toward the door. Chloe looks back and Beca, smiling while she nods her head.

Chloe walks out of Beca's hospital room and leans her back against the door, letting out an excruciatingly deep breath that she had been holding in. Chloe groans as the realization settles in her stomach.

"Worst. Crush. Ever."


	3. One Step At A Time

**Title:** A Walk To Remember  
 **Rating:** M (for language)  
 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** Not much to say here besides enjoy!

* * *

 _ **Monday; September 15, 2014**_  
Beca's nerves were running wild as the nurse wheeled her to get her MRI. If there was one thing Beca hated, it was small, confined spaces and she knew all too well what she'd be enduring in a few short minutes.

The last two weeks have been great, Beca had regained almost 85% of her touch sensation in her legs and a little more motor function. She was now able to slightly rotate her leg. She couldn't move it much more than that, but it was progress, and Chloe had been a huge help. She had gotten her stitches out and her back felt ten times better, allowing her to lay on it, again. This helped immensely with her physical therapy and for that, Beca was grateful.

Beca was also grateful for Chloe, she had definitely been running herself into the ground, telling Beca she had to close with a bunch of other patients before her MRI so that they could spend all of their time focusing on her condition. Beca was glad that Chloe had chosen to be her semi-permanent physical therapist, even if things got awkward at times. Beca had to stop herself from the subtle glances whenever Chloe was near, and the shallow breathing whenever Chloe's hand touched her leg. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way toward Chloe, but she couldn't help it.

They make it to the MRI machine and the nurse calls over the doctor to help her onto the patient table. Dr. Fitzgerald and the nurse lift Beca up and delicately place her on the table while they continue prepping.

The nurse gives Beca an injection of Gadolinium, a contrast medium so that the image of her spine will appear more clearly.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the MRI technologist tells Beca to stay still and pushes her into the machine. Beca closes her eyes, seeing the lights shine brightly above her as the machine turns on. Beca can hear the droning and rotation of the machine, breathing evenly as she waits for it to be over.

Time dragged on as Beca was in the machine and she could feel her claustrophobia start kicking in. She squeezes her eyes tighter, trying to not allow her breathing to get rapid and out of control.

Before she knew it, the MRI was over and Beca was thanking God as they pulled her out of the machine. They help her back into her wheelchair and wheel Beca into the office, telling her to wait patiently while the doctor went over her MRI results.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Fitzgerald knocks on the door, opening it as he walks in. He pulls the images up on his computer screen and wheels Beca around to look at them.

"See right there?" He points to a small part of her back in the thoracic region of her spine. "Your spinal cord has regenerated about 94%! There's a small percentage missing right here."

Dr. Fitzgerald points at the section of Beca's spinal cord that hasn't fully fused with the OEC's yet. It just looked like a little piece had been scooped out, which was a lot different from what it looked like before her surgery. At that point, it was barely hanging on by a thread.

"We can continue moving forward with working on your motor function, I'm sure Dr. Beale would be pleased." Dr. Fitzgerald pats Beca on the shoulder, the news settling into her mind and she's trying to keep her composure.

Emotions flooded through her when the reality that in she could be walking again finally hits her. She didn't know if she was really expecting the surgery to work, but was glad that it had.

"I'll let you get back to your room. You have physical therapy in an hour!" Dr. Fitzgerald exclaims. "I'm really proud of your progress, Beca. This could be a huge medical breakthrough and you're a very receptive patient."

"I know there were so many people more deserving than me," Beca says, tears filling her eyes, "but I'm so thankful you gave me this opportunity."

 **xxx**

Chloe's mind wandered as she walked towards Beca's room. Today marks her first day with Beca as her only patient, and she couldn't help but feel nervous. The past two weeks had been exhausting, Chloe rotating between 6 patients, which is usually way more than she cared to juggle at one time. It also didn't help that every time in the last 16 days that she had seen Beca, the small crush she once had grew bigger. She couldn't help but be attracted to Beca, especially on her good days when her smile was wide and her eyes were that perfect shade of slate blue, or when Beca snuck in "subtle" glances of her.

Chloe sighs loudly, knocking on Beca's hospital room door before walking in, surprised to see that the brunette was not in her room. Chloe looks around, the lilies Beca's parents got her sitting on the table next to her bed, the balloons and cards also covering the room. Her eyes focus on the suspension harness, the first step of getting Beca stand on her own feet. The goal was to suspend Beca from the ceiling, a harness holding her in to allow her to get the feeling of standing up straight. They can adjust the slack and tension of the harness, a method used so that eventually, Beca can hold her own body weight before attempting to walk.

Chloe sets her things down on the chair she had gotten so familiar with and decided she'd just wait patiently for the brunette's return. She pulls her phone out and sees that she missed a call from Aubrey, deciding to call her back.

The line rang a few times before Aubrey picks up. "Hey, Chlo!"

"Hey, Bree. What's going on?"

"Nothing, really." Aubrey says and Chloe can hear her shrug. "Just bored as hell. Surprised you called back so soon. I thought you had PT with Beca right about now?"

"Her MRI was an hour ago, just waiting for her to get back to the room." Chloe sighs.

"Chloe, what's going on?" Aubrey says softly, voice laced with concern.

Chloe knows she should tell Aubrey about how she's slowly gaining feelings for Beca, which she is almost 100% sure are not reciprocated, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Call it denial, call it what you will, but Chloe was in deep and she couldn't see the light from the bottom of the hole she had dug.

Chloe's thoughts are shaken by the sound of Aubrey's voice asking if she's still there and the sound of Beca's hospital room door opening.

"Sorry, Bree, I'm going to have to call you back later." Chloe hangs up the phone as Beca comes wheeling into the room. "Hey, Beca."

"Did I interrupt something?" Beca asks, biting her lower lip.

"No, it was just my roommate. She, uh, just called to see if I wanted... You know what? It was nothing."

Beca looks down at the ground then back at Chloe. "Okay, then." Beca brushes off Chloe's weird mood and wheels herself closer to the redhead. "What are we doing today? Dr. Fitzgerald said we can move forward with motor function."

"Yes, that's correct. We're going to be working a lot today." Chloe nods, standing up as Beca stops her wheelchair by the bed. "I'm going to need you to lay down. Do you need help?"

"Please." Beca waits for Chloe to walk over to her. She wraps her arms around Chloe's neck, feeling a spark when Chloe's arm moves under her legs and lifts her out of the wheelchair. Chloe gently sets Beca on her back, lowering the incline on her bed so that it was flat.

"Okay, Beca. I want you to bend your leg. I'm going to help, but I want it to mostly be you." Beca nods at Chloe's order. Chloe puts one hand under Beca's thigh, the other on her shin. She slightly bends Beca's knee. "Okay, start drawing your knee inward."

Beca complies and twitches as she tries to bend her knee more. She gets about an inch before her leg gives in and tenses, causing Chloe to feel the deadweight of Beca's leg cave against her hand.

"Shit." Beca curses softly, her eyes looking defeated.

"Hey, Beca... It's okay. You still moved it, that means the signals are making it through. Your muscle has degenerated so this will happen." Chloe consoles. "we'll keep trying."

Two hours had passed, and Beca had finally gotten both legs to bend at the knee by herself. She could slowly feel her muscles strengthen and was happy that she was one step closer to being able to stand.

"You're doing great, Beca." Chloe smiles as she watches Beca lift and bend her legs without Chloe's assistance at all. Chloe presses the incline button on Beca's bed allowing her to sit up straight. "What do you say we take a break before we do anything else?"

"Oh god, yes." Beca breathes out, the soreness and fatigue starting to settle in. "I'm starving."

"Well, I can go get us something." Chloe suggests, watching as Beca's eyes widen and land on her. "I mean, uh, if you want."

"Yeah. I... I'd like that." Beca refrains from smiling too wildly at the redhead's offer.

"Right," Chloe replies breathlessly, smiling as her heart beats wildly in her chest. She finds herself leaning forward, stopping herself from getting too close to her patient. Her thoughts are interrupted when the door opens.

Chloe looks over to see Aubrey and the girl who was in Beca's room on their first day of PT.

"Hey, Chloe." Aubrey smiles. "Uh, Beca. I found your friend waiting outside."

"Thank you... Uhm?"

"Oh, Aubrey Posen," Aubrey walks over and extends her hand toward Beca who grips it in a firm handshake.

"You're that reporter who covered my story." Beca nods, remembering seeing her name when she re-read her story prior to her surgery.

"Guilty. Mind if I steal Chloe?"

"Actually, you can help me get food." Chloe says, standing up from the chair and grabbing her bag.

"We'll be back soon, Beca." Chloe turns to Beca's friend. "Did you want something to eat? It's on us."

"Sure, thanks." The tall brunette nods. "My name's Stacie, by the way."

"Right, well, it's nice to meet you." Chloe says sincerely as she grabs Aubrey's arm, the two walking out of the room.

Stacie takes a seat next to Beca and nudges her best friend, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows. "She's buying you food! She soooo likes you."

Beca breathes out a laugh, shaking her head. "We've been working for two hours, she was just being nice."

"Right," Stacie rolls her eyes. "What the hell is that thing hanging from the ceiling?"

"Some kind of harness that suspends me from the ceiling. The first step to standing up." Beca replies shrugging her shoulders.

"This is really happening. You're going to be able to walk again!" Stacie is excited, and it shows. The last three years have been hard on Beca, and Stacie knew this.

"Yeah," Beca smiles.

"Dr. Hot Pants is seriously a life changer!"

"Really, Stacie? Dr. Hot Pants!?" Beca raises an eyebrow.

"Well, she is attractive. And so is her friend. OOOH, let's double date! I bet I can swoon that pretty, blonde journalist." Stacie smirks.

"It's not like that, dude. I'm a patient, she's my doctor." Beca groans, not wanting to have this conversation.

"When will you realize that she stares at you with the same 'I'm crushing hard' eyes that you stare at her with?" Stacie rolls her eyes. "Like you guys are both so obvious, it's not even funny."

 **xxx**

Aubrey and Chloe are taking their short walk back from the small Italian restaurant to the hospital. They decided on pizza, not wanting to get the wrong thing for anyone and who doesn't love pizza? Monsters, that's who.

Aubrey's holding the two pizza boxes in her arms while Chloe clutches the drink holder in her hands.

"So you want to tell me what's going on with you and Beca?" Aubrey flat out says.

"Nothing." Chloe shakes her head.

"Oh, bullshit, Chloe." Aubrey says, rolling her eyes.

"Seriously! Do you know how unprofessional that would be?" Chloe's mouth wide in disbelief. "Plus, despite the whole morality of the situation, she doesn't even like me."

"Are you blind?"

"What?"

"Are you blind?" Aubrey asks again. "Because you literally both stare at each other like long lost loves."

"No, we don't." Chloe scoffs.

"Yes, you do."

The doors to the hospital open and Chloe presses the button for the elevator. Once inside, she presses the button for Beca's floor and sighs.

"Okay fine. I like her." Chloe starts.

"But?" Aubrey knows there's one coming.

"But she's my patient. That's a conflict of interest!"

"It's not if you don't make it. Seriously, Chloe. You can keep your work life and personal life separate, even if Beca is part of both." Aubrey states causing Chloe to shrug. The elevator dings and the pair head out, walking down the hallway to Beca's room. "Take a fucking chance, dude."

"I'll think about it. We never had this conversation." Chloe glares as she opens the door. "Who wants pizza!?"

...

Aubrey and Stacie sat quietly in their seats as they watched Chloe and Dr. Fitzgerald hoist Beca into the harness. The two insisted on staying, wanting to see Beca stand for the first time.

Beca's legs felt like jelly as her waist is buckled in, feet barely touching the ground. Dr. Fitzgerald walked over to where Aubrey and Stacie sat, ready to see his patient break medical history. Stacie pulls her phone out, swiping the camera open and pressing record.

Chloe stands in front of Beca, the remote for tension and slack in her left hand.

"You ready?" Chloe asks quietly, staring into Beca's eyes.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Beca replies confidently.

Chloe nods, holding out her right hand for Beca to grab. Once Beca's palm is in hers, her heart warms.

"Okay, on three, I'm going to produce slack so your feet will fully be on the ground. 1, 2," Chloe presses the button softly, "3."

The harness lowers from the ceiling and Beca can feel the bottom of her feet touch the ground.

"Oh my god," Beca breathes out when she realizes that she's standing, even if most of her body weight was being supported by the harness. Her grip tightens on Chloe's hand as more slack is added, feeling her muscles contract and flex.

"Is this okay?" Chloe asks, referring to the amount of slack.

Beca was thinking of anything else but that. Chloe's fingers were gently caressing her knuckles and she couldn't get her mind off of it. "Yeah. This is... Perfect."

In the background, Stacie and Aubrey are sniffling as they watch Chloe take a step back from Beca, urging her to follow.

Beca tries her hardest to lift her right leg off the ground to take a step forward. She manages to get it off the ground before her left knee buckles, causing the brunette to stumble forward into the doctor. She can feel Chloe's arm wrap tightly around her waist as tension was added to the harness.

Chloe searches Beca's eyes and finds the brunette, defeated. "Hey, Becs..." Chloe pauses when the nickname falls from her lips. She had no idea where it came from, but she couldn't take it back now. "It's okay. What matters most is that you're standing."

Chloe's soothing voice dances in Beca's ears, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She locks eyes with the doctor, a small smile and nod indicating she understood.

"I want slack. I want to try again." Beca says, confidence lacing her voice. If it was the last thing she'd do, she'd walk towards Chloe. Chloe nods, grabbing Beca's hand again.

"Okay. 1, 2..." Slack was added, "3."

Beca closes her eyes, feeling her muscles once again attempting to hold up what little body weight wasn't supported. Chloe takes a step back, and Beca focuses on her legs. She lifts the left leg this time, hoping her right could hold her up. She bends her right knee, moving her left leg forward until her foot hit the ground. She feels the weight of her body on her left leg as she brings her right leg from behind her to meet with her left.

Everyone in the room's eyes lit up. Beca took her first step.

"Beca, you did it!" Chloe practically squeals, Beca's hand still in hers.

Beca turns her neck to see Stacie, Aubrey, and Dr. Fitzgerald clapping and cheering for her. "Guys! I did it. I walked sort of!"

Stacie comes running up to her best friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Beca."

"Thanks," Beca smiles as Stacie hugs her.

"I'm going to go wait outside." Stacie says out loud before leaning in and whispering to her best friend. "She likes you, you know. No day, but today." Beca nods, acknowledging the reference as Stacie walks out of the room.

Dr. Fitzgerald was next, tilting his head in Beca's direction. "I couldn't have asked for a better patient. You are so strong willed and I am so glad that you have made such extraordinary progress. I'll see you guys, later. Beca, keep up the good work." Dr. Fitzgerald takes his leave as well.

Aubrey was the last one to come up.

"You know, Beca. We may not have known each other for more than a few short hours, but I'm really glad to see you up and standing. From a journalist who was so grossly invested in your story, I can say that truthfully from the bottom of my heart, that I am glad everything worked out for you." Aubrey flashes a smile at her before turning to Chloe. "And you, Dr. Beale, are a wonderful and patient person. You've done good."

Aubrey exits, leaving Beca and Chloe alone. Chloe's fingers resume caressing over Beca's knuckles, the anxiety and rush of taking her first step in three years causing her hand to shake.

"I'm so incredibly proud of you, Beca." Chloe smiles sincerely, feeling the shaking in Beca's hand die down. She doesn't stop trailing her fingers over Beca's skin, though, she can't. Her heart swells when Beca's infamous smile that she had gotten to known over the last few weeks appears.

"All of this... Me, standing up and walking... I couldn't have done this without you." Beca admits, her eyes locking on Chloe's, trying to read the situation they were in. Beca takes this moment to slowly turn her hand, intertwining their fingers together. "I can't tell you how much this means to me, Chloe."

Chloe looks down at their hands and her breathing hitches. She was in way too deep, and by the way Beca was now looking at her, she could tell that she wasn't the only one with a crush.

Smirking, she takes two steps backward, her hand still locked with Beca's.

Beca gets the message and manages to take the first step toward Chloe. She exhales loudly before gathering the strength to take one last step. She closes her eyes and tries not to think too hard about it, the feeling of Chloe's fingers laced with her clouding her mind. Her legs get the idea and she takes one more step before she opens her eyes, Chloe's ocean blues vibrantly glowing a few inches away from her.

Chloe feels a small squeeze to her hand, and she's sure she's about to burst with how close Beca had gotten to her. Beca's eyes glimmered in the light as they stared deeply into hers. Chloe feels the weight of unprofessionalism settle in her brain, telling her to back away before she got in trouble (with herself). She goes to take a step back, and oh, fuck being professional.

Chloe leans forward, closing the gap as her lips crash into Beca's. She can feel Beca's grip tighten on her hand as her other hand finds itself on Beca's chin, holding it up as she pulls away from an extremely breathtaking kiss.

"Wow."


	4. Sunsets and Silhouettes

**Title:** A Walk To Remember

 **Rating:** M (for language)

 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** Rather short chapter. But I haven't updated this one recently so yeah...

* * *

Beca stared at Chloe who was biting her lower lip. The two hadn't moved from their position, Beca still suspended from the ceiling and holding onto Chloe's hand. The kiss left her head dizzy and her already weak knees daring to cave in. Minutes felt like hours, neither of them saying a word before Beca's legs finally give out and she once again stumbles, causing Chloe to instantly add tension to the harness and grab her arm.

The tension was enough for Beca to bear standing now and Chloe was quick to grab her wheel chair and place it behind her.

Chloe steps in front of Beca again, instructing her to hold onto her shoulders as she undid the harness. Beca complied, pushing all of her body weight on Chloe as Chloe unhooked her from the device, placing a hand on her back as she lowered Beca into the wheelchair.

Chloe can hear Beca sigh, looking down at the ground before looking up at Chloe who was still standing in the same spot.

Beca knows they should talk about it, but she didn't know what to say. She knew what was going on in Chloe's head, the look on her face being an indicator of that. Beca knew they couldn't possibly do it again, regardless of how much she wanted to.

"I'm sorry about that," Chloe finally breaks the silence, biting her lower lip as nervousness settles in.

"It's okay," Beca shrugs her shoulders. "It was just a heat of the moment thing. It doesn't have to mean anything."

The words cut through the air like a sword, causing a pang of hurt in Chloe's heart. Hearing Beca say that it didn't have to mean anything killed her because it meant a lot to her. Chloe knew she wouldn't get in trouble with her job for what happened, many of the other physical therapist work with their own family and loved ones. That wasn't the problem. The problem wasn't as easy. Chloe didn't want to confuse things between them, especially when their main focus was getting Beca to walk again. If anything were to happen between them, let's say a misunderstanding that made things tense, it would put a damper on Beca's treatment and she didn't want that. Chloe wanted Beca, but Beca's ability to walk again was so important to her that she'd push her feelings to the side for the brunette if she had to.

"Beca... That's not-"

"Chloe, really. It's fine." Beca interrupts, holding her hand up. "It won't happen again."

 **xxx**

 _ **Friday; September 26, 2014**_  
Chloe sighs as she walks into the hospital. The last eleven days had been absolute torture, neither Beca nor her acknowledging the kiss between them. She wanted to tell Beca how much it meant to her. She couldn't really explain what it was about Beca that pulled Chloe in like a magnet meeting metal, but the attraction was there. Chloe was never one to dabble around in relationships, being so studious and busy. Sure, she had the occasional boyfriend or girlfriend, here and there, but being with them felt nothing close to how she felt just being _near_ Beca. She had no idea how Beca could have this effect on her, they've known each other for a month, if even. But there was that spark, that electricity jolting through her veins the first moment she came in physical contact with the brooding brunette.

Chloe didn't understand it in the slightest, and she's not sure if she's supposed to or not. But she's spent way too much time letting it plague her mind, letting it eat away at her insides like a parasite. Beca was something else, something more, and Chloe couldn't catch the ground as it was coming up from underneath her.

The only problem? They hadn't talked about it. She wanted so desperately to figure out what the hell was going on, but the brunette was stubborn when it came to talking about it. Chloe's tried bringing it up, just to have Beca stop her before she could even start. It almost broke her heart at times, wishing that she could take everything back and just go back to being Dr. Beale and patient.

The subtle glances didn't stop, though, nor did the way Beca's fingers would brush against Chloe's when she was helping her walk.

Despite the tension rising between them, Chloe had to admit that Beca was a superstar. The brunette had been working crazy hard to get up and walking, now able to use forearm crutches to help her. They both knew this was as good as it was going to get for Beca with how much her muscles had degenerated. Beca will never be able to walk without aids, but Chloe knew that she was happy just to be able to walk.

It was nearly 6pm and Chloe thanked God that her day was almost over. She had come in on her day off to take Beca on a short walk so she could measure how far the brunette could walk before it was too much to handle.

Chloe knocks on Beca's door, walking in and spotting Beca sitting in her hospital bed, her focus on her cell phone. Chloe can hear the clicking of her keys as Beca types, wondering if the brunette is writing a life story to whoever she was talking to.

"Hey." Chloe says softly, causing Beca to look up. The sound of Beca's phone locking flooded the room as they stared at each other in silence.

"Uhm, hey." Beca replies nervously. "I thought you were off today?"

"I was, but it's really nice outside and I thought it'd be great to go for a walk. It's supposed to rain for the next few days and I figured you'd want to get out of the hospital." Chloe is sincere in her answer. She knows that Beca being cooped up in the hospital was getting to her, but with the colder months coming, being able to go outside until she was discharged would be rare.

"Yeah, sure." Beca shrugs. She looks at Chloe who is glowing at Beca's agreement to go for a walk with her. Beca averts her eyes, not wanting to be caught staring at the girl who had captured her attention.

"Great, let's go."

 **xxx**

Chloe walks beside Beca who is wheeling herself to a small path outside of the hospital that was surrounded by trees. The scene was beautiful, romantic almost, and Chloe has to stop herself from thinking that this was more than just a doctor and patient working together.

They stop at the front of the sidewalk, Chloe handed Beca the forearm crutches they had brought along with them. Beca puts her arms through the cuffs, placing the crutch tips on the ground and wrapping her hands around the grips. Chloe helps Beca up into a standing position, Beca putting most of her weight on her arms.

Once standing, Chloe places a marker on the ground and nods to Beca, letting her know that they could go. Beca complies and starts slowly taking steps, using the crutches to help her as her legs wobble. Chloe follows behind her, just in case her legs give out and Chloe needs to catch her.

"So you're going to be working at Barden next semester?" Chloe asks, making small talk.

"Yeah, well, kind of. I'll mainly just be working with the Bellas." Beca replies as she cautiously takes her steps.

"That's still cool. I graduated from Barden five years ago, before I started my masters and doctorate to become a licensed physical therapist. I was actually a Bella my senior year." Chloe confesses.

"Were you really?" Beca stops walking and looks back at Chloe.

"Yeah, Aubrey and I were the captains." Chloe smiles as Beca continues to stare at her. "Also, as much as I enjoy you staring at me, you have to keep walking or your legs will give out faster."

Beca's taken aback by Chloe's comment, but complies as she continues walking. The sun was just starting to set and Beca could see the faint outline of a bench ahead.

"Can we sit when we make it to that bench?" Beca asks, her legs starting to feel tired, but she also wanted to secretly watch the sunset with Chloe. Beca didn't mean to shut out her doctor, but she was terrified of what would happen if she acted on her feelings. She gave it the last eleven days to think about and ultimately decided if she never tried, she'd never know.

The only thing Beca knew was that she liked Chloe, and based off of their spur of the moment kiss, Chloe liked her back. Beca remembers seeing the pain in Chloe's eye when she had told her the kiss didn't have to mean anything. At that point, Beca was scared of what it meant and also didn't want Chloe to get in trouble on her behalf.

"Yeah, that'd make your first walk outside about 15 meters. Which is outstanding." Chloe mentions as she looks back at the marker. The two make their way to the bench and Chloe hears Beca sigh in relief as she sits down.

"I'll get used to this one day, right?" Beca says, her legs feeling like jelly.

"Of course, Beca. It's been only a month since your surgery. It could have taken a lot longer for you to even reach this point. You're doing wonderfully." Chloe smiles as she takes a seat next to Beca, minding her distance.

Beca nods, removing the crutches from her forearms, leaning them next to her. "It's been so long since I've watched the sun set outside." Beca marvels as she watches the sky. The scene was beautiful, shades of pink and orange covering the entirety of the sky, the colors highlighting the clouds as the sun peeks out from behind a few trees.

"It really is something else." Chloe adds in quietly. She looks over to Beca whose eyes are glistening in the remaining sunlight. Beca is looking at the sky, a hopeful expression on her face.

"You know? I really didn't think I'd be here today." Beca admits and Chloe lifts her eyebrow, confused at what Beca fully meant.

"Be where?"

"I don't know... Becoming paralyzed, getting the surgery, walking again... Watching the sun set with you." Beca looks over at Chloe, eyes slightly hooded and locking with ice blue ones. The colors of the sky made Chloe look even more vibrant to Beca, and she couldn't help but scoot closer to the doctor. Beca reaches over and places her hand on top of Chloe's, hearing the redhead's breathing hitch.

Chloe's eyes narrow as she watches Beca inch closer. She feels her heart pounding in her chest. She holds her breath, remembering what happened the last time they kissed and wondering if this was the direction Beca's confession was going take. The distance between them is dissipating, so close that Chloe can almost feel Beca's breath on her lips, and Chloe feels the anticipation killing her on the inside. She wonders, for a second, if she should just turn her head and ignore the butterflies in her stomach; if this was really the right thing for them to engage in. Her mind was racing at a million miles per second, her thoughts are jumbled as she tries to process what exactly is going to happen. But nothing, nothing prepared her for what actually occurs.

* * *

 _ **I know I always leave you on cliffhangers, but that's because they're EXCITING.**_


	5. A Walk To Remember

**Title:** A Walk To Remember

 **Rating:** M (for language)

 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** Oh my. You guys are _really_ not into cliffhangers. I'm sorry! Like so terribly sorry, but I like to add suspense to keep you on the edges of your seats. So thanks for dealing with me and my CONSTANT cliffhangers. Here's the newest chapter. I'm like battling with myself to NOT post a new story because I have three going, and I lost my mental track on On Letting Go, already. WHOOPS. But... See Her On The Weekend is still a thing. So maybe... I'll post another one. Don't hate me.

* * *

Chloe Beale has **never** been in love.

She can easily and honestly say that and mean it from the deepest depths of her being. If it wasn't for her bubbly personality, which can come off as somewhat overbearing, then it was her obnoxiously busy schedule. No one would ever find the time for her that she deserved and craved so desperately. Never in 27 years has she ever experienced a feeling that caused her insides to turn to mush, and her brain to short circuit and lose all coherence. She never knew what that felt like, that is, until Beca came along.

She can pin point the exact moment she started feeling like this, the moment that butterflies had replaced all of her internal organs with their fluttering about. She recalls the instance that a spark set off a wildfire inside of her, begging to consume her heart and mind with passion and emotion. The second that a light appeared in the darkest depths of her soul, the moment that her entire being was consumed in legitimate feelings. She wouldn't call it love, no, but it something edging close with no warning, catching her off guard, and causing the ground to come up from underneath her too quickly.

Chloe had never let her guard down so easily than when Beca came tumbling into her world. Almost everything she did was centered around Beca and she was so scared shitless that she'd wake up and realize that Beca was just a figment of her imagination. Her job, her sleep schedule, her brain function; all consumed by the younger brunette. She had spent countless nights, fighting to sleep, only to have Beca pop into her mind.

Beca had taken everything that made sense to Chloe and rendered her senseless. Her brain re-wired, her thoughts swirling. And yet, she still didn't understand why, why Beca could break down barriers in her heart and pry her way into it. Not that she ever thought Beca meant to, but it's exactly what happened. What scared her most is how seemingly short and hard she had fallen, how 28 days of knowing her felt like a lifetime of memories. How in those 28 days, Beca had caused her to feel things she never thought possible, an existential equivalent of complete and udder desire and sentimental value.

It was damn near intoxicating.

So when it's _ **Chloe**_ who inches closer, her lips barely grazing Beca's, one could only understand the internal battle of confliction within the redhead. They're not kissing, it's more of unsure lips tip-toeing across soft ones. Chloe feels her heart twist in a way that would make any cardiologist worried.

It's over just as quickly as it started, Chloe instinctually backing away quickly, her thoughts jumbled and her body on fire. In the blink of an eye, she mumbles out a quick "I'm sorry" before avoiding slate blue eyes, a pang of guilt in her heart when those words are repeated for the second time.

Beca's voice is confident and soft, soothing Chloe's innate reaction of fear that she did something wrong. "Don't be." It's almost husked out of the brunette's mouth and Chloe feels her body go numb. In a swift movement, Beca's hand is on the back of Chloe's neck, pulling her into a soft kiss. Chloe's fighting to keep her eyes open so she can gauge the fact that this was actually happening. She loses the battle quickly as her eyes become hooded, closing tightly as Beca's lips dance across hers.

Beca pulls away, a shade of red tinting her face, and even Chloe couldn't help but admire how fucking adorable she was. Silence falls between them as they engage in a staring contest, Chloe silently counting the seconds.

Ten seconds, that's all it takes before Beca's voice is ringing in her ears. "What I said the other day... I didn't mean to say that."

Chloe inhales sharply as the words settle in her brain. Beca's eyes search hers, looking for any indication that Chloe registered what she had said. She hasn't, yet. She feels her stomach tighten, begging to explode into a thousand butterflies. She's tempted to pinch herself to make sure that she's not dreaming, that this wasn't too good to be real.

"I... Uh... You... See... It's..." Chloe starts out, unable to produce a coherent sentence, the words she had once possessed and thought long gone in a bumbling wreck. Chloe's nervous, she can tell by the way her thumbs start to twiddle and she's still avoiding eye contact with Beca.

"Chloe, hey, look at me." Beca says in such a calm voice that the pounding in Chloe's chest decreases to a slow and steady beat. Beca's hand finds itself on Chloe's cheek, Chloe burning under the touch of Beca's skin gently stroking her jawline.

A deep breath is let out through a half-cocked smile, the nerves seeming to settle as cerulean eyes meet stormy ones. Chloe takes in the glistening of Beca's brown locks in the shimmer of remaining daylight. She damn well nearly looked like an angel.

"Are you okay?" The question is simple and complex all at the same time. Yes, Chloe was physically okay, sort of. But emotionally? Not so much.

Her brain was swarmed like a beehive with confusion and an irrelevant fear of how she felt. To be honest, Chloe wasn't too sure what she felt by this point. Because Beca was in front of her, sincere and damn near _perfect_ , and Chloe was terrified. Terrified that she'd mess all of this up and she would lose not only Beca, but her heart all in one swift blink of an eye. Because falling for Beca was NEVER, ever part of the plan. The plan was to do her job and move on with her busy life, the appointments and the pizza filled movie nights with her roommate. But no, Beca was clouding every inch of her heart, every fiber of her being. Beca was different and special, the kind of special you want to flaunt to the world. Chloe is almost certain that if she doesn't get out of her head and speak one sensible sentence that Beca would back away as if she was standing on the edge of cliff, and Chloe doesn't want to her to slip.

Chloe needed to reach out and grab her, much like Beca had done with her attention. Capture her in arms and hold on tightly before the moment's too far gone. Because she initially backed away and Beca pulled her back in, like a fish on a nylon line. She was hooked.

But words don't come out of Chloe's mouth. A sudden rush of boldness floods over her and she captures Beca's lips with her, almost in a way that said "I need to know you feel the same way". Chloe inhales sharply when she feels Beca deepen the kiss, her mouth parting slightly, dancing against Chloe. Beca's hand is still resting on her cheek, fingers gripping the back of her jawline and pulling her as close as physically possible in the positions their bodies were in.

Chloe's hands snake around Beca's back, gripping tightly and holding on for dear life. She can feel Beca's tongue swipe across her lower lip, begging for entrance, urging her onward. Chloe feels her heart spill out every small detail of her feelings into the kiss, once slowly and unsure, now passionate and fiery.

Beca's the first to pull away, this time, breathing hard like she had just run a marathon. Chloe lets out a breathless sigh of content, eyes meeting Beca's.

"I, uh, wow." Beca's now the one fumbling over her words and Chloe feels more at ease than she had earlier. It seemed to her that the effect Beca had on her was mutual to the one she had on Beca.

"Yeah. I'm..." A pause, an almost sentence stopped by Beca interrupting her.

"Don't say 'sorry', Chloe. Don't apologize for the way you feel."

And with that, Chloe's heart explodes. Because it's not sure what it feels, a mess of things, but not one single cohesive emotion.

"Because I feel the same way."

Six worded stories pack a lot of punch. Some can be sad, some can be hopeful, but this one could mean just about anything. Those six words dancing circles around her heart and mind, like a tango or a waltz, always in time to the beating in her chest. What she felt for Beca was reciprocated. And she's not entirely sure, once again, what EXACTLY she feels because Beca is a woman in full. Everything that Chloe had ever dreamed of didn't come close to comparing to Beca. Beca just was.

"You do?" A short but fully stated thought comes tumbling out of buzzing lips.

"I do... Look, the other day, I just- I got way into my mind about what happened that I spoke before I processed everything." Beca's words are honest, and Chloe can hear the truth behind every single one of them. "I didn't want to risk losing you as a doctor because I don't want any other Doctor. I want you."

"You were..."

"Trying to protect you and your job." Beca completes Chloe's sentence, to which she is thankful for because her mind is still like a Boggle machine in the works. "I didn't want you to like... Lose working with me because of it."

"Beca, I- I started it. I made that decision," Chloe's voice is hardly audible, but she can tell Beca understands by the way her eyes narrows as she listens. "Even if I were to get in trouble, that was my risk to take. But I won't because they honestly don't care."

Chloe can't believe her million miles per second mind let her produce a real sentence, let alone four. But she meant it, how could she not? It's not that the hospital would have fired her for kissing a patient, seeing as doctors are very well known to treat their own loved ones in the first place. They are encouraged to build healthy relationships with their patients and sometimes, it could possibly lead to more. And that's exactly where Chloe and Beca stood.

"You hypothetically risked your job for me?"

"Hypothetically, in any other work environment, yes. But not in this one." Chloe feels better, lighter even. She feels like a huge weight has been plucked from her shoulders and she can stand on the ground that once knocked her down.

"Why?" Another short question, both simple and complicated. She could tell Beca exactly how she feels, but she knows that at this moment, it's a lot of random thoughts written out like a bad poem. Or she could go with the simplistic route. Chloe chooses the latter.

"Because I like you." Chloe confesses and another weight flies away. Aubrey would be fucking proud of her. The answer itself was simple, too simple almost, but it was the truth. Chloe knew it extended way beyond this, but it'd have to do for now. "A lot."

The way Beca looks at Chloe causes her brain to shut down. Beca's eyes are watching her own, swimming in her pupils that she is sure are dilated by this point. There's a small smile pulling up the edges of Beca's lips. It's a look Chloe's never really seen before, a look no one's ever given her and she's melting.

"I like you, too." Four words that could potentially put Chloe into cardiac arrest linger in her ears. A sigh of relief creeps out from behind her lips.

"Great!" The nervousness replies for her. It was definitely not what she wanted to say, but all she could muster given the circumstances. "I mean..."

"It's okay," and there's that infamous smile Beca flashes her direction that causes her insides to turn to jelly. "I know what you mean."

"Okay, good." Chloe breathes out, relief once again washing over her. "Sorry, I'm just like..."

"Not good with words. I've gathered, but really, it's okay." Beca lets her hand rest on Chloe's arm and Chloe's thanking God that she's wearing a jacket because she knew that the second Beca's skin touched hers, she'd be burning up.

The sun has set, leaving small traces of light through the soon to be night sky and Chloe knows she should probably get Beca back to her room. But she doesn't want to, she wants to continue soaking in this moment because it was one she'd never forget. She thinks Beca catches onto this because she's eyeing her wheelchair that was still sitting at the market Chloe had set on the ground an hour prior to their walk.

"I should probably get you back before they think you're missing..."

"Yeah..." Beca nods while grabbing the crutches and sliding her arms into them with ease. Chloe stands up, helping Beca plant her feet firmly on the ground.

They make the walk back to Beca's wheelchair, Beca sitting down and handing the forearm crutches to Chloe.

The journey back to the hospital is relatively silent, Chloe chewing on her lower lip as she contemplates words to speak. She never does. It isn't until they're at Beca's door that any audible sentence falls from lips, and they're Beca's.

"Thank you."

Chloe ponders on the words, not entirely sure what it was Beca was thanking for. It could be a plethora of things, maybe Beca was just grateful that Chloe was helping her walk, or that she got Beca out of the hospital for a bit. So, she does what any sensible person would and questions it.

"For what?"

Beca looks up at Chloe with dark blue eyes, the left corner of her lips being pulled up in a side smile. It's sincere and Chloe can feel herself melt into a puddle of goo in the hallway.

"For making this a walk to remember."

* * *

 _ **BAM. Not really a cliffhanger so you can't really hate me.**_


	6. Let Her Go

**Title:** A Walk To Remember  
 **Rating:** M (for language)  
 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** Short chapter, but it covers a lot of ground. A reviewer asked if there were going to be any bumps between them... Well, you should probably just read...

* * *

 _ **November 28, 2014**_

The past two months had flown by in what seemed like a short flight to another state. Chloe had done something she never thought possible. She had managed to keep her professional and personal lives separate. Sure, Beca and she hadn't really fully talked about what they were, if they were anything at all, but they kept it clean while Chloe was on the clock. Chloe would spend her days off either texting the brunette, or if the weather was going to be decent, she'd take Beca for short walks outside. That was her favorite. Being able to give Beca a breath of fresh air instead of the stale and sterile smell of the hospital. They'd share stories and kisses but never words about what they were.

But today was different. Beca was being discharged. It had come as a blessing, really, because Beca had made so much progress in the last three months and Chloe noted her excitement to have over a full month off before she had to start her job at Barden. The only thing that Chloe was upset about was the fact that Beca would no longer be a constant in her life. 97% of her life had been dedicated to Beca and now she had no idea how much she'd actually see the girl who had all but captured her heart in a net.

Chloe would be back to her busy schedule and Beca would be back to hers. Chloe knew that the days they could potentially see each other after Beca was discharged were few and far between. But she didn't want it to end. She didn't want to lose being able to soak in Beca's beauty in the fading sunlight on their evening walks or seeing that megawatt smile Beca beamed at her when she walked into a room, like she was the only one Beca wanted to see.

Yeah, Chloe Beale has never been in love, but it was creeping closer, starting to engulf sections of her heart.

And in a few short hours, Beca would be walking out of the hospital, a new person. When they shared their first walk outside, Chloe didn't stop to think that it could all be over soon. She couldn't stop the itching feeling under her skin that Beca would be gone. It was too much for the redhead to comprehend or bear at the moment.

She's sitting in Beca's room with Stacie and Aubrey, the four of them sharing light conversation. Beca had agreed to let Aubrey write a new story on her and her medical breakthrough, so the blonde journalist was silently taking notes as Beca spoke. She was absolutely ecstatic. But Chloe was somewhere else, deep in the crevices of her brain and heart. Besides the occasional head nod and short sentences, Chloe has been silent for the duration of the visit. Not that she wanted to be, she wanted to say something, but her tongue was tied in a sailor's knot and she couldn't get it undone.

"Thank you so much for letting me write this story," Aubrey's voice is genuine as the sound of a notebook slamming shut echoes through the room.

"Yeah, dude. Of course."

"I should probably head out and start on this. I'll let you know when it's published." Chloe hears the feet of Aubrey's chair drag across the linoleum as she scoots it backward and stands up. Bag slung over her right shoulder, she looks at Chloe with hopeful eyes. "I'll see you at home?" A nod. That's all Chloe could suffice.

"I'll, uh, walk you out." Stacie offers, getting up from her chair. Chloe can hear her ask Beca if she was okay with that and a confirmation from the short brunette.

And with that, Stacie and Aubrey were gone.

Silence flooded through the room as the remaining echo of the door shutting dissipated from the walls. Chloe's eyes shift over to where Beca was sitting in her bed, nimble fingers playing with the hem of the sheets.

"So..." Beca draws out in a way that makes Chloe's heart stop. "This is really it."

Chloe sighs loudly, the four word sentence confirming her greatest fear. This WAS really it and it was all too real, now.

"Yeah..."

"Chlo," Chloe almost shudders at the way the nickname rolls from thin lips, "are you okay?" A sharp inhale of breath.

Of course, Chloe wasn't _okay_. She didn't want any of the past three months to end; not the subtle glances, not the shaky hands of nervousness, not the heartfelt poems recited through tender kisses, not the presence of Beca... Chloe had completely and totally fallen, and she wasn't ready for it to be cut short. But she couldn't say it, no, she could never say that. She can't convince herself to be okay, not when Beca was so close, yet still so far away.

"Yeah, I'm okay." A partial lie because physically, yes, Chloe was okay, but her emotions were swirling around her like a monsoon, the eye of the storm begging to wipe out all hope.

"Okay," Beca doesn't sound convinced, and Chloe knows that she shouldn't be. Because Chloe doesn't sound convincing in the slightest. "I'm going to miss this." A raised eyebrow.

"Miss what?" Chloe knows she shouldn't be playing dumb. She knows exactly what Beca meant, because she was going to miss this, too. But as the shock and dismay settles in and the reality that seeing Beca constantly was going to be over soon, Chloe needed some form of reassurance. Some hint or sign that maybe, just maybe, they could make it work.

"Seeing you, spending time with you..." Beca's rubbing the back of her neck with her hand and Chloe's growing more and more anxious by each passing second.

"Yeah, me too." Chloe stands up, and she's not too sure why she does this. Her heart is telling her to stay, but her mind is telling her to leave before she loses it completely. Beca's face falls, staring at Chloe like her puppy was just kicked. "I should probably get going. Dr. Fitzgerald will be here soon to discharge you and you should spend time with Stacie."

Chloe knows this isn't the way she wanted all of this to end, but fighting back tears and feeling like her world was going to collapse at her feet was something she couldn't handle right now.

She watches Beca out of the corner of her eye, the brunette motioning for her to come over to where she sat. Chloe feels her legs move toward the edge of Beca's bed, and she tries to gather her composure. Beca's arms are open wide, and Chloe leans down just enough to wrap her arms around her. "Thank you for being the best patient ever."

She can feel Beca's face nuzzle into her neck and a single tear is shed. As she pulls away, she feels Beca's lip graze her cheek, setting it on fire. A final 'goodbye' lingering behind reddened skin.

"Thank you for believing in me." Beca's chewing on her lower lip and Chloe can feel her heart start to slowly break as she nods, her feet starting to move her towards the door. "We'll see each other again, Chloe."

 **xxx**

 _ **December 15, 2014**_

It had been three long weeks since Beca had seen Chloe. Sure, they spoke to each other through text messages, but that was the extent to that. Beca had become so engrossed in her job that started in a month that she hadn't found the time to see the redhead outside of being her patient. It definitely killed Beca on the inside a bit because they left on such a sad and heartbreaking note.

Beca missed Chloe. She knew this much to be true.

Beca clicks on a playlist of songs that Emily, the captain of the Bellas, had sent her. It was a list of songs the Bellas all agreed they'd want to sing if Beca could come up with an awesome blend of them. She puts her laptop on shuffle, hearing piano flood her headphones as she listens to the first song.

 _Well you only need the light when it's burning low.  
_ _Only miss the sun when it starts to snow.  
_ _Only know you love her when you let her go._

A single tears falls down pale cheeks as the lyrics burn themselves into Beca's brain. How could she be so stupid? Chloe had completely and totally captured her heart, wrapped it up in love and she's done nothing but push herself further and further away. Beca didn't believe she could love, it definitely was not an emotion she had felt towards anyone. But Chloe was different, she was special, and Beca played it off like it was nothing.

Beca pushed herself away from Chloe because she didn't know that she loved the redhead. But it was all coming clearly to her, now, the lyrics confirming what Beca was too blind to see.

 _You see her when you close your eyes.  
_ _Maybe one day you'll understand why  
_ _Everything you touch, surely dies._

 _But you only need the light when it's burning low.  
_ _Only miss the sun when it starts to snow..._

Beca loved Chloe, and Beca had let her go.


	7. Let It Go

**Title:** A Walk To Remember  
 **Rating:** M (for language)  
 **Summary:** A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

 **A/N:** Well, well, well. Beca's in love with Chloe. She's out of the hospital... What on earth is she going to do? Okay, it's painfully obvious what she's going to do.

* * *

 _ **December 15, 2014**_

Beca was standing in front of Chloe's house. Don't ask her how she even knew where the redhead lived... Okay, so maybe she all but pleaded for Stacie to give her the address since Stacie had hung out with Aubrey before.

She doesn't particularly know why she's standing on Chloe's front porch. Okay, so maybe that was a lie as well. She knew exactly why she was here, to confront her latest emotional outbreak in a heartfelt dissertation. But she could feel her heart in the pit of her stomach as she puts all of her weight on her right side and removes her hand from the crutch to rap a balled fist against the wooden door.

A few seconds pass, and Beca's wondering if she should just leave, if it was even worth telling Chloe because she hadn't seen her in so long that maybe some things were best kept secret. But she couldn't, it was too late to back out now, especially when the sound of a deadbolt unlocking brings her back to reality.

She holds her breath as the door opens, revealing a very confused looking Aubrey.

"Beca? What on earth are you doing here?" A sweet, sincere voice asks her.

"I need to talk to Chloe."

"She's not here... She left town a few days ago for a conference." Aubrey replies sadly.

"Oh, okay. This was a stupid idea anyway." Beca says, going to turn around and leave before she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"She called and said she's supposed to be back in like thirty minutes... If you want to wait."

"Sure," Beca shrugs, letting her heart outweigh her mind. Aubrey sends her a half smile as she leads Beca into the kitchen.

"Just make yourself at home," Aubrey says as Beca hands her the forearm crutches, watching Aubrey set them against the kitchen counter. She turns back to Beca and points to two glass doors. "I'll be in the study right there if you need me."

"Thanks," Beca breathes out and Aubrey nods her head, leaving.

Beca sighs loudly as she sits at Chloe's kitchen table. She didn't really think much of this plan through, only knew that she loved Chloe and she wasn't going to keep pushing her away as she felt she had been for the past month. Not that Beca meant to, but somewhere seeded deep in her brain, she knew why. Because she knew that not seeing Chloe constantly would kill her, so pushing her away before that could happen was her only defense mechanism.

Beca never wanted to hurt Chloe, and she felt like she had let the redhead down by refusing to see her after she was discharged, making up some sort of excuse as to why they couldn't see each other on Chloe's days off.

But Beca didn't know that this was the extent to her feelings. She knew she felt something for the doctor, but could never pinpoint what it was, that is, until Jasmine Thompson's cover of Let Her Go flooded out of her laptop speakers. And maybe loving Chloe scared her, a lot, but Beca was done running from the inevitable. She was done pushing Chloe away because the redhead had done nothing wrong and Beca knew that she was hurting.

And that killed Beca, so fucking much. Seeing the tears glistening in Chloe's eyes the last time they saw each other in person. The way she looked like the world just ended or Christmas was cancelled when Beca barely grazed her lips across her cheek like it was 'goodbye' forever. And sure, at that point, Beca was planning on distancing herself from the physical therapist who jumbled her brain and heart, but only because she had never done this before. She had never loved another person past friendship or family, she had never been in a relationship, and she was fucking **scared**.

Because Chloe was the kind of girl who made Beca feel like the impossible wasn't really impossible. Like Beca's hesitations to be walking again after such a short period of time. Normally, and at first, Beca thought that would be impossible. That it'd take longer than four months to get her up and moving again. But then Chloe appeared like a fucking Saint and proved her wrong. Chloe believed in Beca when Beca didn't believe in herself, and that made all the difference to her. That small gesture made Beca fall hard and fast, made her heart beat rapidly whenever Chloe was in the room and Beca hated herself for pushing that thought out of her mind like it was nothing. Like _she_ was nothing. Chloe most certainly was not nothing to Beca, never has been.

Chloe was like her car accident. Sudden, piercing, and life altering all rolled into one instance. One misplaced look, one drunk driver getting behind the wheel, one force of impact that shattered her world. Except Chloe was a positive instance. One subtle glance, one shaky palm grazing against her cheek, one look of sheer adoration. One action of lips against lips in a confession of feelings that mended her shattered world. Yeah, Chloe Beale was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

The sound of the front door closing jolts Beca out of her brain and the nervousness washed over Beca as she hears the footsteps echo through the house.

"Bree! I'm home!" Chloe's voice calls out. The sound of keys being set on the entry way table causes Beca to start chewing on her lower lip. Chloe walks into the kitchen and peers over to Beca who was sitting nervously at the table. "Beca? What are you doing here?"

"Uh." Beca coughs loudly, trying to get the lump stuck in her throat to disappear. "I need to talk to you."

Chloe has a warey look on her face as she sets her briefcase on the ground. She pulls the chair next to Beca out from under the table and sits on it, her elbow resting against the table, a fist holding her chin up. "Okay..." A perturbed voice echoes softly. "What about?"

"I..." And Beca's brain stops. Her heart is telling her to go for it, but her brain stops and she wonders if this is how Chloe felt the last four months. Beca noticed it, the struggle of the disconnect between protecting your feelings and acting on them. Her heart breaks thinking Chloe had felt this way. "I'm here because there's something you need to know..."

"There is?" Chloe's eyebrow arches and Beca can feel a breath escape her thin lips.

"Look, Chloe. I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you." Beca chews on her lower lip, looking off into the kitchen and avoiding eye contact with the sky blue orbs she's grown to love. "It was wrong of me. And..."

Chloe's silent and Beca can feel the uneasiness settle in her stomach. Like how it felt when she woke up after her accident and she couldn't feel her legs. How that made her stomach drop, queasy... Shifting. Nervous. Silence continues to fill the air, piercing, almost too loud. Begging to broken. A sharp inhale, a weighted decision lingering behind thin lips.

"I love you." Beca breathes out loudly and quickly, almost stunned at herself for letting the three words fall from her lips.

"What?" A very shocked Chloe asks, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She did.

"Jesus, please don't make me say it again," Beca lets a small scoff mixed with a laugh release from the back of her throat. She was nervous and Chloe hadn't really given her any reason not to be.

"You love me..." It's not a question, but almost a confirmation. Like Chloe was trying to believe it for herself. Sky blue eyes glistening with tears of happiness? Sadness? She couldn't tell.

"And I pushed you away and I'm sorry I didn't see it until now." Honesty. That's new for Beca. Feelings, talking about them... Also new. Her head bows, not wanting to look at the sadness that would soon plague Chloe's eyes at the confession. It would break her. It already has.

"But why?" Chloe's eyes are shifting between Beca, who still hasn't looked up, and the kitchen table where Beca's eyes are also focused.

Beca knew why she asked this question, Chloe needed reassurance because Beca had never given her any before. Not once. Beca never vocalized that. Never told Chloe that they'd be more than what they were when she was treating her. And then Beca turns up, at her house of all places, and confesses her love. Shit, Beca would want that reassurance if the roles were reversed.

"You're passionate and kind hearted... You're strong willed and patient. I can't feel anything but saftey and warmth when I'm around you. I don't know. I can't explain it..." Beca finally looks up and her stormy eyes meet cerulean ones. "It's like, the moment we first touched, you were intertwined in my veins, moving into my heart and cycling through my body over and over. And I was an asshole. I couldn't figure out what it was about you that made me weak in the knees, no pun intended." Beca breathes out another laugh. "But I avoided you because I was scared, and I'm sorry that I didn't try and hold on to y-"

Beca's rambling was cut short by a pair of lips connecting with hers, like a perfect fit of a jigsaw puzzle. Her heart exploded into a thousand tiny butterflies that flutter around her rib cage, causing a light feeling to settle in the pits of her stomach. The kiss was so much more than Beca had anticipated, much more than any of their previous kisses had ever been. Yes, this was filled with unspoken words of love, with enough passion to make a career out of. Everything that Chloe felt towards Beca was being in sent from her lips to Beca's, and Beca eased into content as she kissed back.

This was definitely going better than she expected. She wasn't sure whether or not she was going to tell Chloe she loved her, but she gathered up the confidence, even if she fumbled on her words, and let her know. And Chloe knew. Beca could tell by the currents running through her body. The electricity, the love.

Chloe's the first to pull away, leaving Beca with pursed lips and her eyes still closed. Beca opens her eyes slowly, staring at Chloe whose cheeks were as red as her hair.

"Wow." Beca breathes out loudly as her eyes widen more. Beca could feel the cogs in her brain turning smoothly, which she was definitely thankful for because earlier they were stalling and causing her to freak out.

"I'm totally not sorry about that." And Chloe smirks, causing Beca to melt in the chair she's sitting in. Because time and time again, Beca had dealt with Chloe apologizing after kissing her. She blinks once, twice... Dizziness filling her skull as she tries to realize that this, in fact, wasn't a dream and it was all really happening. "I love you, too, weirdo."

Beca's heart flutters, explodes at the reciprocated confession. She is ecstatic, beyond ecstatic even. She's in love. Grounded. Safe. Happy.

"Is it safe to come out!?" A voice echoes from the study. A small chuckle falls from Chloe's lips, followed by the shaking of her head. Beca gulps loudly, embarrassed by Aubrey asking that particular question like they were two teenagers who had just been caught making out on their parents' couch.

"Yes."

"Oh, thank god. I wanted water but I didn't want to ruin the moment." Aubrey breathes out, laughing as she exits the study. The blonde journalist moves swiftly through the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. She pops off the cap with ease and her eyes fall on the physical therapist and her former patient. Cheeks flushed, pupils dilated, smiles from ear to ear. It was fucking adorable. "Talk went well, I assume?"

Beca's the one to answer, much to Chloe's surprise. "It did." A smile is beaming from her mouth, her hand grabbing Chloe's across the table. Beca is confident, now. More so than she was before. Because she loved Chloe and Chloe loved her. And this time, Beca wasn't going to let her go.

* * *

 _ **January 12, 2015**_

Beca sat in her office at Barden University. Yes, her office. Beca was shocked, too, but according to the dean, the Bellas were such a huge part of Barden that their first director should have their own office, which Beca was thankful for. It gave her time away from the crazy 18-22 year olds who were slightly annoying. Beca wondered if Chloe and Aubrey had to deal with things like this when they were captains. They probably did.

She was going over the set list she had composed for them, a mix of songs Beca pulled from the playlist. Of course, she incorporated Let Her Go because it was such a turning point for her life. She had chosen a mashup of Let It Go and Let Her Go, transposing the piano notes into sheet music for the Bellas. It was definitely a great mashup, one that could really put the audience and judges in 'the feels' and Beca was satisfied immensely with that. Because she had been all up in those feels since she told Chloe she loved her.

And things had been going great. They had seen each other almost everyday since their heartfelt confessions in Chloe's kitchen, even if it had only been for an hour here or there. They always tried to find time for each other. And Beca was thankful for that. She was, after all, stepping into new territory with Chloe. But Chloe had been so supportive and understanding about the fact that Beca didn't really know how to be in a relationship, the kind of understanding that made Beca's heart do somersaults.

Chloe was helping Beca each step of the way, just like she had when Beca was physically taking steps for the first time in years. It was like physical therapy all over again, except she was learning how to be a good girlfriend. And Beca couldn't be happier. Girlfriend. She liked that title way too much.

Beca is shaken from her thoughts when the sound of her phone buzzing through her office bounces off the walls. She checks it, noticing that Chloe had texted her.

 **Chlo (Received 12:34): Hey Becs! I have a two hour break from work and I was thinking... Lunch with my favorite brunette at our old school?**

 **Chlo (Received 12:35): okay, well my old school. You work there soooo...**

Beca shakes her head lightly, chuckling at the redhead's messages. Her stomach grumbles loudly and she could definitely eat something. It also helped that Chloe would be present, because Beca missed her even though she saw her less than 24 hours ago.

"Oh god, I'm like a clingy teenager." Beca mutters to herself before she taps the text box to reply.

 **Chlo (Sent 12:37): You know I'd never say no to you. What are we having?**

Beca waits patiently for the message to send. The 'read' indicator flashes on her phone and Beca anxiously awaits Chloe's reply when she hears the door open. Beca's eyes shoot up from her phone to see Chloe's head peeking through the small crack in the door, a smirk plastered on her face. She steps into the room, holding out a box.

"Pizza?"

Yeah, Beca Mitchell definitely loved Chloe Beale.


	8. You Had Me At Hello

**Title:** A Walk To Remember  
 **Rating:** M

 **A/N:** Here's the newest chapter. AND IT'S LONG. You're welcome. Hooray for fluff and a little bit of drama. Not much, way more fluff. ;) Also, I'm excited that I've been able to update all of my stories so closely together to give all of you who read whatever I write a lot to read

* * *

 _ **February 13, 2015**_

Chloe felt nostalgic as she walked into the auditorium at the Lincoln Center. She remembers being on that stage, dancing and singing her heart out like she owned it. Like an out of body experience, she sees herself on stage, dancing alongside Aubrey and the other Bellas. Her heart smiled, she smiled. She missed those days.

A seat sticks out to her. Her eyes flicker over the white sign plastered on it.

 **Reserved: Chloe Beale**

It made her heart melt. Beca had reserved a chair for her, right next to her own. The gesture made Chloe turn into a pile of goo. Sure, Beca always made her feel this way, but the fact that Beca cared so much that she was at Sectionals made the gesture all the more heartwarming.

Sitting, she looks around the auditorium, looking for Beca. Probably in the back giving a pep talk to the Bellas. She remembers when she used to do that, with Aubrey. They never had a director before, no one to pull them in the right direction. It put a lot of stress on them, especially with schoolwork added to the pile. That's why she thought Beca's job was so important. She's taking that weight off of the students.

And Chloe would do anything to support her girlfriend. Even if that meant cancelling three appointments to be here. This was a first for Beca, a real chance at a career and that made Chloe happy. Because she knew, she knew Beca had been upset about soccer. They had talked about it, how her future had been affected by the wreck. The cons being she was no longer going to be a professional soccer player, her only dream at the time. The pros? Meeting Chloe and falling in love for the first time.

Chloe knew Beca was strongly dedicated to music, especially after her accident. And that's why she's going to watch the Bellas perform Beca's set list, support her new dream. Because Chloe would do anything for Beca.

"Who are you here to see?" A boy, a Treblemaker, says from beside her, a smirk pressed into his lips. "I mean, you got a reserved seat with Barden... So?"

"Girlfriend." Chloe says almost defensively, not sure if this was this poor boy's attempt at flirting. "Beca."

"Is that hard?"

Chloe raises an eyebrow as she takes in the words, trying to get them to register. They don't.

"Is what hard?"

"Being with someone who's handicapped?" Chloe wants to scoff, because no. It wasn't hard. It doesn't even cross Chloe's mind because to her, Beca is just a human being that she loves. She glares at the boy, about to speak when he continues. "I'm like... Not trying to be rude. Beca's my friend. I just... From her point of view, you're so privileged. You can walk without having to take breaks... You can run or dance or play sports. I just feel like I'd be resented if I were in your shoes."

Oh. Now she gets it. Her mind has never pondered on that particular thought. Does Beca resent her? No. She couldn't possibly. Could she? Did Beca tell this boy that? Or was it just an honest assumption?

"I, uh, I don't think she resents me?" It's a question, not a confident answer. Maybe she was trying to convince herself that Beca didn't resent her for being 'privileged'. She didn't think she was. "I mean... It's complicated."

"What do you mean?"

Chloe doesn't know why she's talking to this random boy about Beca, about their relationship. Maybe because she never really had thought about the things he was throwing at her face. He made a valid point, one that never crossed her mind. But sharing their personal lives without Beca's consent felt slightly wrong.

"Hey, Jesse!" Beca's voice rings through Chloe's ears and she's almost thanking God that she didn't delve too much into their relationship with him.

"Be-caw!" Jesse's laughing, Beca's laughing. Chloe's... Not. Was that... Jealousy? No. Yes? No. Most certainly not.

"I see you've met my girlfriend."

"I have. We were just talking shit about you." Jesse smirks. Chloe's just sitting there, looking between them and the smiles plastered to their faces.

"Sounds about right, coming from you." Beca removes her forearm crutches before sitting next to Chloe. "Chloe, you okay?"

"Of course." A smile. A somewhat fake smile.

"Wait... _**You're**_ Chloe!?"

Attention back to Jesse. "Yes?"

"So you're the hot physical therapist Beca used to tell me about."

Attention back to Beca, mouth wide. "You told people I was hot?"

A sheepish look. "Well, you are." Fingers graze over Chloe's, warmth covering her skin.

"I didn't know you two were dating." Jesse cuts in, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Because I know you, Swanson." Beca voices cuts through the air. Chloe shudders. It's not a bad thing. Part of Chloe was flattered that Beca used to tell her friends about her. "You A) would have never stopped making fun of me. And B) you once told me that, if I remember correctly, 'liking your doctor is wrong on like so many levels'. Beside, if I had told you, then you'd want to meet her and I wouldn't be able to save her from you and your dumb movie-cation talk. I was sparing her that boring encounter." Defensive Beca was hot. Chloe liked defensive Beca.

"I was joking, Mitchell! I was even talking in a weird valley girl voice so you could tell I was joking."

"No, you're just super, duper gay." Beca quips back on a beat.

"So are you!" Jesse whines. "Like you can't even use that on me!"

Chloe's finally comfortable as she watches Beca and Jesse banter back and forth. She laughs when Jesse calls Beca his 'lesbro'. Beca chuckles at how oblivious he is to the actual definition of the word, but her and Chloe both find if endearing that he thinks so highly of Beca.

Jesse leaves when the Treblemakers are up. Chloe tells Beca about Aubrey's rule when they were Bellas. How Bellas couldn't sleep with Trebles. How she told Mary Elise that she knew the girl had been Treble-boned and they could all see her 'toner', then went on to explain what a toner was when Beca asked. Beca laughs, jokingly asking if Chloe had a toner for her. Chloe's eyes go wide. She says no. She's totally lying.

The Bellas are up next. Chloe notices that Beca is nervous as she sees Emily take center stage, a crisp G emitting from the official Bella Pitch Pipe. Chloe's hand finds Beca, giving it a reassuring squeeze as the Bellas start singing.

 _ **Let it go, let it go.  
**_ _You only need the light when it's burning low.  
_ _ **Let it go, let it go.  
**_ _You only miss the sun when it starts to snow_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Here I stand and here I'll stay.  
**_ _You only know you love her when you let her go.  
_ _ **The cold never bothered me anyway.**_

Chloe felt tears well up in her eyes at the performance. Beca's mash-up had been absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. Chloe knew she was the inspiration for part of it, Beca having confessed about how 'Let Her Go' changed her mind about them. It kind of pulled her head out of her ass. Her words, not Chloe's. But she never expected to see a Disney song incorporated so well with a rock ballad. She was impressed, and super proud of Beca.

Like super fucking proud of Beca. The kind of proud that if they hadn't just started their relationship two months ago, she'd probably take Beca back to her house and ravish her. Because let's be serious, A) Beca was super sexy and B) Chloe had a thing for anything a Capella. Not even she and Aubrey could make such a moving set list, having mostly stuck to tradition. Sure, they had some provacitivity to their later numbers, but they never got a crowd to erupt in cheers and tears at the same time. Beca accomplished that. And God... Did someone turn the temperature up in here?

Chloe yanks at the collar of her shirt, letting out a small breath as she attempts to cool herself down. This doesn't go unnoticed by Beca. Like at all.

"You alright there, Chloe?" Beca's rubbing the back of her hand. She feels like she's suffocating. Not in a bad way. Well, not in a BAD way, but the things she'd do to Beca... They weren't exactly... Innocent.

And she knows she shouldn't be thinking like that. All of this was new for Beca and they were going at her pace. Chloe was okay with that. She liked being that understanding person, she always has. She knew that when that day came, she'd want it to be special. Because they were in love, and Chloe has never been in love. Until now.

"Yeah, it's just really hot in here." A partial lie, because it was really hot in the auditorium. Over 50 different people just danced around on the stage, their lingering musk filling the air around them. "I'm really proud of you, Becs."

Chloe leans over and kisses Beca on the cheek, smiling from ear to ear as she pulls away.

"I'm just glad you were here for it. It calmed my nerves. Thank you."

"You know I wouldn't have missed it for the world. You're going to do great things, Beca." Chloe's grip tightens on Beca's hand. A reassuring squeeze. "And I'll always be here to support you."

Chloe can feel Beca's head lean down on her shoulder, Beca's fingers playing with her hand. "I love you, Chloe Beale."

"I love you, too, Beca Mitchell."

* * *

 _ **February 14, 2015**_

Beca woke up the next morning with a little more pep in her step. Well, as much as possible with her handicap, but she wasn't going to ever let that bring her down. Not after what she had been through. The Barden Bellas won sectionals and they were advancing to regionals. Beca was shocked, to say in the least, but extremely happy for the success.

She was a little put off by Chloe's behavior the previous night, however. She noticed the shift in her girlfriend, maybe because she analyzed little things about her. The way her thumbs twiddle when she's happy and enjoying music. The way she chews her lower lip when she's in deep thought. Her facial expression when she's worried, that's the one that stuck out to her last night.

It was right after Jesse had talked to Chloe, right before Beca had shown up to take a seat next to them. Chloe looked worried about something. And sure, it could be the fact that she was worried that Beca was nervous, but Beca figured there was an underlying reason to her sudden behavior change. But she decided to brush it off. Chloe would tell her if something was bothering her. Right?

Beca wanted that to be the last thing on her mind. Today was Valentine's Day and Beca wanted it to be special. Chloe had spent the last six months taking care of Beca, and Beca wanted to do something for Chloe for a change. She pulls her phone out and finds Stacie's name, pressing the call button and lifting the phone to her. It was time to start planning.

/

Chloe was sitting in the cafeteria at the hospital at lunchtime. She had decided to make up her three cancelled appointments that she missed for Beca's big night, so she came in on her day off. Chloe was thankful to have weekends off again, especially because Beca did. It meant more time with her girlfriend and she wasn't willing to give up any time she had to spend with Beca.

Aubrey had decided to join her for lunch, having nothing better to do at the house. Not that Chloe was doing much eating, her mind was off somewhere far away, thinking about what Jesse had said to her to previous night. She didn't mean for it to eat away at her, but it was. It really made her think. Did Beca resent her in some way for being able to walk? Beca was the first handicapped person she's ever dated, and not that aspect mattered to Chloe because it didn't, but did it matter to Beca? Was Beca upset that there were things that they couldn't do? Did Beca think that Chloe was holding back because of her handicap? She had no clue and she knew she should have talked to Beca about it, but it was her big night and she didn't want to ruin it because of a comment made by Beca's friend.

"Do you think Beca resents me?" She doesn't mean to say it out loud, but she can't take it back, now, and Aubrey's eyes go wide.

"Chlo, what makes you think that?"

"Just... Beca's friend, Jesse. He asked me if it was hard being with someone who's handicapped. And like no, it's not. I love Beca, and handicapped or not, I would still love her. But he said like from her point of view, I'm so privileged and that he'd feel resented in a way if he were in my shoes." Chloe's fingers are tapping against the table, her mind racing as she waits for Aubrey to reply.

"I don't think she resents you, Chloe. If anything, she loves you so much more because of what you two have been through. I can see where Jesse's coming from because yes, it's like that sometimes. But Beca wouldn't be able to walk if it weren't for you. Just because you guys can't go to the club and dance or she can't go with you on morning jogs doesn't mean she thinks any less of you for being 'privileged'. Beca loves you, Chlo. It's ridiculously cute."

"You're right, I'm just being stupid." Chloe admits, her mood seeming to switch on a dime. "I just... I want to be the best I can for Beca. And it's been bugging me since last night."

"Just talk to her about it, Chloe. Beca seems like the understanding type."

Chloe smiles, knowing her best friend was right. Beca was an understanding person, and Chloe admired that about her girlfriend. Like that one time when Beca was warey of their relationship because of their five year age gap. Beca stated that she'd only be holding Chloe down from 'living her life and dating someone her own age, someone with experience'. Chloe explained to Beca that, while yes, she could potentially do that, that she didn't want to because she loved Beca and Beca loved her. Regardless of Beca being completely inexperienced in all things relationship-wise, Chloe needed Beca to understand that she only wanted her. Beca understood clearly, and the conversation was over, things going back to normal between them.

The sound of her phone buzzed through cafeteria and she looks at it sitting on the table. Her lock screen brightens, flashing a notification of a text message.

 **Becs (Received 13:04):** _Happy Valentine's Day, pretty lady! Mind stopping by the Batcave at like 6?_

Chloe chuckles at how Beca nicknamed her apartment The Batcave, however appropriate. Beca's house was almost always dark, filled to the brim with crazy music electronics that Chloe wouldn't even dare touching in fear that she'd mess something up. Was it really Valentine's Day already?

Aubrey raises an eyebrow at Chloe who's smiling like a bumbling idiot, but hasn't even touched her phone.

"You going to stare at your lock screen all day or are you actually going to pick up your phone and reply to her?"

"Oh, right." Chloe picks up her phone, swiping the screen open to reply to Beca.

 **Becs (Sent 13:14): I mean, I don't know... Do I get to meet Batman?**

 **Becs (Received 13:15):** _Maybe... Am I not cool enough anymore? Going to leave me for Christian Bale? :P_

Chloe frowns when she sees the time stamp on the message thread, and realizes that she should probably get back to work so she can get off early enough to get ready. She hugs Aubrey goodbye, telling her to stay out of trouble, and continues texting Beca on her way back to the PT room.

 **Becs (Sent: 13:21): Wait... YOU'RE NOT BATMAN? My whole life, a lie!**

 **Becs (Received 13:23):** _Whoa, now. I never said I wasn't Batman. I could very well be! I mean... You've never seen me or him at the same time. Coincidence? I think not ;)_

 **Becs (Sent 13:27): You're such a loser, Beca. But you're my loser. I'll see you at 6! Love you.**

 **Becs (Received 13:30):** _I love you, too. Even if you're mean to me. Wear something comfortable. I'll see you later. Get back to work, Dr. Beale ;P_

/

Chloe sighs heavily as she opens the door to 'The Batcave', the brunette telling her the door was unlocked and to just enter whenever she arrived. She had still been thinking about what Jesse said, even though Aubrey had made extremely valid points on Chloe's overreaction to the situation, she just couldn't shake it. She didn't want Beca to resent her, she didn't want to feel privileged because the fact that she could walk didn't matter to her. Beca mattered. Beca was all that mattered and she needed Beca to know that.

All of her nerves dissipated quickly, however, as she steps inside the apartment. The sound of music was softly playing in the background. Chloe walks further into the apartment to see the kitchen table glowing under candlelight, a vase of lilies sitting dead center. Chloe looks down and gasps, seeing two very beautifully prepared plates of one of her favorite pasta dishes, Chicken Parmigiana with angel hair.

She looks around the apartment and there's no Beca in sight. She stands in the dining room, turning her head from side to side and trying to figure out where Beca is when she hears a door close and the sound of wheels gliding across the hardwood floor. Chloe looks to her left, seeing Beca in her wheelchair, instantly sending her into a concerned state.

"Don't worry, my legs were just tired. They didn't stop working" Beca assures her as she reaches the table. "I, uh, don't cook, but Stacie helped and I know it's kind of cliché... I just wanted to do something nice for you and I can't really do much, so I hope it's okay."

Chloe feels tears forming in her eyes as Beca talks, the feeling of being privileged clouding her brain, once again. But it wasn't the fact that Beca had stated that she couldn't do much, it was the look in her eyes as she said it. Beca looked disappointed that they couldn't do typical things that most couples do. Beca looked worried when mentioning that she hoped that their cliché Valentine's Day was okay.

Chloe grabs Beca's hand, sitting down in the kitchen chair so that she was level with her girlfriend.

"This is more than okay, babe. This is perfect." Chloe wraps her arms around Beca, hugging her as she feels the brunette's face nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

"It's not too cliché and boring, right?" Beca mumbles into Chloe's collarbone, her voice plagued with worry and sadness.

Chloe detaches herself from Beca and holds her chin up. "Beca, no. It's absolutely wonderful. I don't care if we can't go ice skating or hiking or whatever it is couples do these days."

"I just... I feel like my handicap is holding you back from doing those things."

"Okay, Becs. Stop right there." Chloe says sternly, knowing now that Beca didn't resent her, but resented herself. And Chloe was having none of that. "I love you and I love what we have. I love going for short walks with you and watching the sun set. I love laying next to you on the couch watching ridiculous shows about murder. I love being around you. Just because we can't do certain things doesn't mean you're holding me back. You're what I want, you're who I love. And I love you for who you are, handicap and all. So all of this," Chloe gestures to the table, "is perfect because it came from you."

Chloe leans forward and presses a firm kiss to Beca's lips before pulling away and seeing the twinkle in Beca's eyes. And in that moment, Chloe knew for a damn fact, that the resentment Beca had for herself was shrinking into space, evaporating from her brain. The sense of security and reassurance replacing that abhorring feeling. Chloe felt lighter than she had before and she knew that Beca did as well, if the look in her eye was anything to go by. Beca's hand finds Chloe's cheek and Chloe sinks into content, staring longingly into her girlfriend's stormy blue eyes.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"You looked at me with those eyes and that contagious smile of yours. And you were you, honest and true to yourself. You didn't have to do anything to deserve me, Beca. I think I was yours from the moment I met you."


	9. Titanium

**Title:** A Walk To Remember  
 **Rating:** M

 **A/N:** Wow, you guys are getting three updates in one night. Feel lucky! Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chloe was laying on Beca's bed, Beca on top of her and her lips pressed tightly against Beca's. Chloe doesn't know when the intense make out session began, somewhere after dinner in between watching episodes of the first season of Lost Girl they had just started, but she definitely wasn't complaining. Their Valentine's Day had been perfect and Chloe was extremely happy, Beca's hands tangled in copper locks and her hands firmly on Beca's hip, fingertips brushing against exposed skin.

Chloe becomes bold, trailing her fingers under Beca's shirt and up her back, feeling the keloided six inch scar as she moves her hands to a small rib cage, holding Beca just below her breasts. She hears a moan roll into her mouth from Beca as her thumb brushes the underside of her breast, causing the brunette to slightly arch her back and press her hips into Chloe.

Beca pulls away with a cheesy smile on her face and looks at Chloe. "That's my underboob, Beale." And Chloe's chuckling at the fact that Beca just used the word 'underboob'.

"I'm well aware of that. It's almost like I'm a doctor." Chloe jokes before pulling Beca back down and capturing her lips once again.

"You're a sexy Doctor." Beca mumbles between kisses and Chloe feels her body warm at the comment. She feels Beca's tongue slip past her lips and dance inside her mouth with her own, fighting for dominance in a passionate kiss.

Beca's hands move from Chloe's hair and graze down to her hips, holding the redhead steady as she grinds her hips against Chloe's. She can hear a small moan escape from Chloe's lips as she presses her thigh further in between toned legs. She can feel the muscle tighten in her thigh as she tenses in her back, a jolt sent through her spine.

"Ow." Beca hisses as the pain sets, relaxing her muscles. "Fuck. That hurt."

Chloe's instantly concerned, demanding Beca lay on her back and relax. Beca complies, rolling off of Chloe and letting her back hit the mattress. She huffs out, loudly, arms crossed over her chest and an extremely frustrated look lingering on her face. Beca's upset, appropriately so. She just wanted to be intimate with Chloe, as if it was the only thing she wanted more than being able to walk again, but her damn broken body couldn't handle it.

"Beca, stop looking so upset, please." And just like, Beca's face lightens and she only looks slightly disappointed. "Seriously, Becs. It's okay, I swear."

Beca lifts her arms to cover her face mumbling out a reply along the lines of 'no it's not'. She can feel Chloe's hand squeeze her thigh in reassurance and a sigh escapes from her lips.

"We have plenty of time in the world for that. You can't over exert your body until it's used to it. We can work through it."

"But I shouldn't have to, Chlo." And with that, Chloe finally lays back down next to Beca and wraps her arm around her waist. "I can't do much else. Why can't I just be able to do this one thing?"

Chloe scoots closer to Beca, gently placing her head on Beca's shoulder. She leans forward and presses a kiss to the brunette's cheek. "You will, okay? Just not now."

"Okay..."

"I love you, Beca. You mean so much to me and just because your body isn't ready for this doesn't mean I love you any less."

* * *

 _ **February 21, 2015**_

It had been exactly one week since Beca and Chloe _almost_ took a step further in their relationship. But due to Beca's back surgery, injury site, and degenerated muscles, it was cut short. Not that Chloe really minded, because she didn't. But Beca did. Chloe knew that her girlfriend had felt defeated when the zinger shot through her spine, causing her whole body to stiffen. Truth be told, she knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Beca's spinal cord had only healed about 92% when she was discharged and any over exertion of the body could cause the neural signals to bounce in the wrong direction and cause a quick, searing pain.

Chloe remembered when she split her forehead open in high school after Jimmy, a clumsy dancer in her class, tripped and knocked into her. Her head slammed against the mirror and the impact split her skin, causing the redhead to get five stitches. Whenever her hand brushed against the wound, it felt like someone was stabbing her.

Beca's situation was a little more complicated than that, though. The overuse of her hamstring caused her back to tense and her electrical signals to misfire. And it was bound to happen, a lot.

The look painted across Beca's face that night broke Chloe's heart. Chloe knew that it was something Beca's body would have to adjust to, but if she could be honest, Beca was stubborn. And Chloe loved that stubbornness, but as of late, it was putting a damper on her mood.

Beca felt inadequate, like she wasn't going to be good enough for Chloe. She had voiced those concerns on Valentine's Day. And Chloe had constantly told her over and over that it didn't matter if they couldn't be intimate at this very point in time, but Beca just kept going on and on about how embarrassed and shitty she felt about it. Chloe kept reassuring Beca that it happens, that it would take time. Beca just shrugged.

Which brought Chloe to where she currently sat, in a chair in Dr. Wilson Fitzgerald's office. He was well aware of their budding relationship when Beca was still admitted, but was saddened to hear after a month of being discharged, that no romantic progress had really been made. He was definitely a gossip, and Chloe could talk to him about anything. So when he found out that they were dating, he was over the moon with happiness and told Chloe to make sure Beca keeps working hard to stay walking.

"I just... Don't know how to make her realize that it's fine, Wilson." Chloe's defeated. Beca had been slowly pushing her out after her bodily mishap a week ago and Chloe didn't know how to make Beca understand that she was perfectly okay with it. "She's so upset."

"I mean, it's typical for someone in her position. I constantly get asked by paraplegics if sexual intimacy is something they can engage in. And while she's not paralyzed anymore, her body can't handle it the stimulation because we fixed her spinal cord." Wilson explains, somberly looking at Chloe's disappointed face. "She has a follow up appointment with me soon. She needs a new MRI and maybe I can see if there's something we can do about the muscle degeneration and pain."

It's a humble suggestion, Chloe acknowledges that. But she's willing to do whatever it takes to make Beca happy.

"It wouldn't hurt to try." Chloe presses her lips together in a tight, halfhearted smile as the sound of her phone ringing floods through the office. Dr. Fitzgerald nods, letting Chloe know it's okay to answer and gestures that he's going to check on patients while she has her conversation.

Chloe pulls her phone out of her pocket, seeing Beca's caller ID picture flash across her screen. She grins widely, happy that Beca was calling so she eagerly swipes to accept the call.

"Hey, Becs."

 _"Hey..."_

Instantaneously, her face falls at the sound of Beca's hollow voice.

"Are you okay, babe?"

 _"Yeah, I mean-"_ A sharp inhale floods through her speaker. _"I'm just... I'm sorry."_

"Beca, please stop apologizing. It's not your fault. It was out of your control. Please stop beating yourself up over it." Chloe's rubbing her eyes with her thumb and her middle finger as she waits in silence for Beca's reply.

 _"I know. It's just-"_ A loud sigh. _"It made me feel so inferior and I've been pushing you away because I keep telling myself you can do better. And I know that I'm stubborn, I just... It sucks, you know? Not being able to give you what I want to."_ Chloe can hear Beca breathe out an unconvincing laugh, as if she felt stupid for even calling to tell Chloe this.

"Look, I know you're feeling down, babe, but you have no reason to be. I love you. And while yes, it's kind of been disheartening that you're pulling away from me, I need you to know I'm not going anywhere. I chose this life with you, Becs. I love you, and I meant what I said last week. I don't mind that we can't do certain things because I'd choose you everyday."

And she hears Beca sniffle, she knows Beca is crying. It's the most heart wrenching noise Chloe's ever heard and she feels so terrible that she can't just reach through the phone and wipe away her tears.

"I'm not going anywhere, Beca. I promise."

 _"I just feel so bad. It was so perfect and then I- my body ruined it."_ Beca's voice is broken and Chloe can feel the cracks forming in her heart. She can't possibly fathom what Beca feels, she's never been handicapped. She knows that constantly reassuring Beca won't help, she's already tried that. Chloe doesn't know how to make things better and it scares her. Scares her so bad that she'd rather be in a real life horror movie than feeling what she feels. Because Beca is vulnerable and Chloe doesn't know how to make it even the slightest bit okay. So she just keeps letting Beca know it's okay. That it was out of her control and that it's something they're going to get through because she has faith in her girlfriend. And she means it, Chloe's faith in Beca was strong. Beca's faith in herself, however, not so much.

"Do you want me to come over? I was just having lunch with Dr. Fitzgerald..."

 _"No, I'll be fine."_ And Chloe knows damn well that's a lie. But she won't press for further information. Nor will she just show up at Beca's apartment, knowing that Beca needed space and that boundary was not to be pushed, not while their relationship was still relatively new. Chloe knew it didn't matter how much they loved each other, when Beca needed space, she needed space and Chloe respected that.

"Okay... You know I love you, right?"

 _"I know. I love you, too, Chlo. So much. I'll be fine, I promise."_

* * *

"I'm not going to be fine." Beca deadpans as she hangs up the phone, looking at Stacie with tears in her eyes. "I'm just going to be broken forever."

Beca really hated lying to Chloe. Not that she had much in the past, but telling Chloe she'd be fine when she knew damn well that she wouldn't be killed her inside. Truth be told, she didn't want Chloe to worry more than she already did. She didn't want to burden her girlfriend, her gosh darn perfect and loving girlfriend, with her dumb insecurities.

And Beca knew that they would get the best of her and that she'd start feeling like Chloe could do so much better. Regardless of how many times Chloe told her to stop thinking that way, she couldn't. Beca didn't think for a second that she deserved Chloe the way Chloe thinks she does. But Chloe loves her, and she loves Chloe. That was enough for Beca to call Stacie over and have her best friend yank her head out of her ass.

"Beca, you've GOT to stop thinking that way." And she knows Stacie is right, hearing someone other than Chloe reminds her of this. "Chloe doesn't mind."

"I know, but-"

"Okay. Stop. I'm going to tell you what Aubrey's told me plenty of times. 'Get your head out of your ass, it's not a hat'."

And Beca's laughing as the words fall from Stacie's lip in her best Aubrey impression ever. She visualizes Aubrey actually saying that and all of her insecurities flush out for the time being. Beca knew her head had been shoved up her ass when it came to most things in regard to Chloe. It was in her ass when she first kissed Chloe, when she ignored Chloe after she was discharged, and now it was right back in there. Maybe it's because she still can't believe that Chloe chose her. And she knows she shouldn't question her girlfriend's loyalty at all, but the concept of anyone wanting to be with her was new.

So maybe Beca didn't think that she deserved to be with anyone due to her handicap, but she had found someone patient and willing to be there for her. And she's made a complete ass of herself.

"I feel dumb."

"Well, Beca... I love you, but you kind of are. Chloe's probably really upset because you've been moping around for the past week. You need to go talk to her. Your guys' love is like titanium."

Beca's eyebrow raises at the metaphor, not quite understanding what Stacie means by it.

"What?"

"You guys are going to get through this. Your bond is titanium. It's unbreakable. Nothing is going to change that."


End file.
